Abstract

COMPARATIVE APPRAISAL OF PIPERINE CONTENT IN VARIOUS FEMALE SPIKES OF PIPER LONGUM LINN., A RET MEDICINAL PLANT OF ODISHA

Uday C. Basak* and Manisha Mohapatra

Abstract

Piperine [C17H19O3N], a medicinally active bio-molecular principle compound, elicits diverse pharmacological activities like bioavailability enhancer, immune-stimulant, hepatoprotective, antioxidant and many more. Piperine is generally extracted or traditionally obtained from female spikes i.e. fruits (Pippali) of wild Piper longum, a RET medicinal plant of the family Piperaceae. Present study elucidates the Piperine content in fruit spikes of Piper longum grow in three different agro-climatic zones of Odisha. Quantitative estimation of piperine was done through Spectrophotometric and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) methods. Piperine content was found within a range of 0.99-2.46% dry weight when extracted with Soxhlet apparatus (extraction-1). In case of magnetic stirrer extraction using Methanol: Water & Ethyl Acetate: Water (extraction-2) Piperine content was ranged from 0.839-2.7% dry weight. Through HPLC method, Piperine content was found within a range of 1.93-5.29% dry weight in extraction-1 and 4.24-5.72% dry weight in extraction-2. Furthermore, samples collected from Keonjhar region (NCP: K2) showed highest yield of piperine followed by G. Udayagiri (NEG: G) and finally by Khurda (ESCP: K1). Amongst all the selected solvent systems, Methanol prevailed to be the most efficient solvent for extracting good amount of piperine. Irrespective of methods of extraction & quantification, piperine content was found higher in Keonjhar region followed by G. Udayagiri and Khurda.

Keywords: RET, Piper longum, Female Spikes, Piperine, Spectrophotometric, HPLC.