Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences
 

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INSIGHTS OF THE ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF PIPERINE EXTRACTED FROM PIPER NIGRUM L.

AURELIAN CORNELIU MORARU 1,2, IRINA ROŞCA 3*, BOGDAN CRĂCIUN 3, ALINA NICOLESCU 3, ANCA E. CHIRIAC 4, VICTOR VOICU 1,5

1.Romanian Academy, 125 Calea Victoriei, 010071, Bucharest, Romania
2 .“Dr. Iacob Czihac” Military Emergency Clinical Hospital, 7-9 General Berthelot Henri Mathias Street, Iași, Romania
3 .“Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, 41A Gr. Ghica Vodă Alley, 700487 Iaşi, Romania
4 .“Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 Universităţii Street, 700115, Iaşi, Romania
5 .“Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Floreasca Street, 014461, Bucharest, Romania

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The aim of this study was to present new insights of the antimicrobial activity of piperine extracted from Piper nigrum as compared to commercial piperine and to the activity of other similar compounds (namely: protocatechuic acid, L-ascorbic acid, L-tyrosine and syringic acid) and in synergism with ampicillin and amphotericin B. For this, piperine was isolated, purified and its structure and high purity were determined by NMR, FTIR, UV-Vis and TLC analysis. A concentration of 100 mg/mL of piperine proved to have no cytotoxic effect on the opportunistic pathogens represented by Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and was slightly efficient against Candida albicans. Nevertheless, piperine improved the ampicillin activity against S. aureus with 14% and in the same time decreased the activity of amphotericin B against C. albicans with 54.2%, their antimicrobial properties being quite different compared to the commercial piperine.