title: Antioxidant, antiproliferative and antimicrobial activities of the volatile oil from the wild pepper Piper capense used in Cameroon as a culinary spice.
abstract: Wild pepper (Piper capense L.f., Piperaceae) is a spice traditionally used in western Cameroon to make soups called 'Nkui' and 'Nah poh'. In the present work, the essential oil hydrodistilled from fruits was analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS, and for in vitro biological activities, namely cytotoxic, antioxidant and antimicrobial, by MTT, DPPH, ABTS and agar disc diffusion methods. The oil composition was dominated by monoterpene hydrocarbons (56.5%) responsible for the pepper odor, such as (beta-pinene (33.2%), sabinene (10.0%) and alpha-pinene (8.9%). The oil induced a concentration-dependent inhibitory effect on human tumor cells MDA-MB 231 (breast adenocarcinoma), A375 (malignant melanoma) and HCT116 (colon carcinoma), showing IC50 values of 26.3, 76.0 and 22.7 microg/ml, respectively. The oil showed total antioxidant activity with a Trolox equivalent antioxidant concentration (TEAC) value of 140 micromol/g. The essential oil of P. capense proved to be an effective scavenger of the ABTS+ radical, with an activity only about 30 times lower than that of Trolox. Moderate activity was observed against the Gram-positive species Staphylococcos aureus and Enterococcusfaecalis, and the yeast Candida albicans. The notable inhibition of some human tumor cells is worthy of further investigation to discover the possible mechanisms of action responsible for the observed cytotoxic effect of this essential oil.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 183, Dschang, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Verlaine
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Woguem
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University ofCamerino, 1-62032 Camerino, Italy.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maggi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 183, Dschang, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Hervet P D
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Fogang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 183, Dschang, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Léon A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Tapondjoua
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry of Medicinal Plants, Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Hilaire M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Womeni
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University ofCamerino, 1-62032 Camerino, Italy.
authors.forename: Quassinti
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Luana
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University ofCamerino, 1-62032 Camerino, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bramuccic
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University ofCamerino, 1-62032 Camerino, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Vitali
authors.affiliation: School of Biosciences and Biotechnology, University of Camerino, 1-62032 Camerino, Italy.
authors.forename: Dezemona
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Petrelli
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University ofCamerino, 1-62032 Camerino, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lupidi
authors.affiliation: School of Science and Technology, Chemistry Division, University of Camerino, 1-62032 Camerino, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Papa
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University ofCamerino, 1-62032 Camerino, Italy.
authors.forename: Sauro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vittori
authors.affiliation: School of Science and Technology, Chemistry Division, University of Camerino, 1-62032 Camerino, Italy.
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barboni
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000032:analysis*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis*; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D045325:HCT116 Cells; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000737:chemistry*; D031701:Piper / Q000737:chemistry*; D017365:Spices
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D000975:Antioxidants; D009822:Oils, Volatile