MALAYSIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY (MJChem)

MJChem is double-blind peer reviewed journal published by the Malaysian Institute of Chemistry (Institut Kimia Malaysia) E-ISSN: 2550-1658

Mini Review on Botany, Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry and Biological Activities of Piper amalago (Piperaceae)

Wan Mohd Nuzul Hakimi Wan Salleh
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris
Nurunajah Ab Ghani
Universiti Teknologi MARA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.55373/mjchem.v24i4.201

Keywords: Piperaceae, Piper amalago, phytochemistry, essential oil, amide

Abstract

Piper amalago L. (Piperaceae) is widely distributed in Central and South America. It is commonly used in folk medicine as a diuretic and for the treatment of urinary calculus disease. This review highlights the findings of previously published studies on the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and biological activities of P. amalago. The scientific information used for this review were obtained from various electronic databases including Science Direct, PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science. Amides represent the major chemical compounds that have been characterised in P. amalago. The essential oils, extracts, and isolated compounds of P. amalago were shown to possess antioxidant, insecticidal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antileishmanial, cytotoxicity, acaricidal, anxiolytic, antilithiatic, antihyperalgesic, antinociceptive, antiarthritic, diuretic, wound healing, schistosomicidal, brine shrimp, cysteine protease, as well as neurobehavioral and toxicological activities. The outcomes of this review provide further support for the therapeutic potential of the genus Piper. Also, further research on the structure-activity relationship of some of the isolated phytochemicals may improve their biological potency and scientific exploitation of traditional uses of the Piper taxa.

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Published 31 December 2022


Issue Vol 24 No 4 (2022): Malaysian Journal of Chemistry

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