Background & Aim: Piper genus comprises more than 2000 species, mainly found in Asia and Africa. About 40 species are mentioned in the literature and only a small proportion of these species have been studied in depth. The aim of this review is to present data on th
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Background & Aim: Piper genus comprises more than 2000 species, mainly found in Asia and Africa. About 40 species are mentioned in the literature and only a small proportion of these species have been studied in depth. The aim of this review is to present data on the traditional uses, biological activities and the chemical composition of different Piper species.Experimental: Several databases like PubMed, PubMed Central, Science Direct, DOAJ, etc.), were used for the search. The term Piper or the scientific names of different species or the combination of terms such as biological activity, phytochemistry and uses with the scientific names or the word "Piper" were used as keywords in the literature search.Results: Species of the Piper genus are of great economic value as they can be used in various sectors such as food, traditional medicine, in the control of certain infectious diseases, crop pest control or in the pharmaceutical industry. Some species are considered a significant source of essential oils. About 400 chemical compounds have been isolated from Piper species, and the alkaloids are the most important group of secondary metabolites; and piperine is the main active alkaloid reported. Moreover, the literature indicates that these species present several biological properties like anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antiplasmodial, analgesic, immunomudatory, antitumour, insecticide, larvicide, amoebicide, antiviral, etc.Recommended applications/industries: The species from Piper genus can be widely used both as a condiment and as medicines to relieve several health problems. However, further studies should be carried out to justify the uses of the less scientifically explored species of Piper genus, and to determine the mechanisms of action or the pharmacokinetics of the active principles already identified and probable synergies between the alkaloids and other chemical groups to evaluate the digestibility and toxicity of extracts from these species.
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