Piperine (CAS 94-62-2) is a constituent of various spices and is used as a common food additive all over the world. The genotoxic potential of piperine was assessed using four different test systems, namely, Ames test using Salmonella typhimurium, micronucleus test, sperm shape abnormality test and dominant lethal test using Swiss albino mice. In the Ames test, six different doses of piperine, in the range of 0.005-10 mumol/plate, did not induce his+ revertants, with or without metabolic activation, indicating its nonmutagenic nature. In the bone narrow micronucleus test using two doses in the range of therapeutic usage (10 and 20 mg/kg body weight), piperine itself was non-mutagenic. Like in somatic cells, piperine (10 and 50 mg/kg body weight) failed to induce mutations in male germ cells of mouse as assessed by using the sperm shape abnormality and dominant lethal tests. Piperine thus appears to be a non-genotoxic chemical
Assessment of genotoxic effect of piperine using Salmonella typhimurium and somatic and germ cells of Swiss albino mice Bioperine - Karekar VR, Mujumdar AM, Joshi SS, Dhuley J, Shinde SL, Ghaskadbi S. - Arzneimittel forschung. 1996 Oct; 46 (10):972- 5

Objective: To evaluate the analgesic activity of Piper nigrum extract per se and its interaction with diclofenac sodium and pentazocine in albino mice.
Materials and Method: Healthy albino mice of either sex weighing 25-30 grams were taken and divided into 4 groups of 8 animals each. Peripheral analgesic activity was evaluated by acetic acid induced writhing test, using diclofenac sodium (5 mg/kg), Piper nigrum extract (10 mg/kg) and their combination (5+10 mg/kg) orally. Similarly central analgesic activity was studied using tail flick method and pentazocine (5 mg/kg) orally was used instead of diclofenac sodium.
Results: Piper nigrum extract alone did not show any significant analgesic activity in tail flick and writhing methods. However results of acetic acid induced writhing model showed that diclofenac sodium reduces writhing 54.90% with respect to control when administered alone, but showed significant decrease in writhes 78.43% with respect to control when Piper nigrum extract was co administered with diclofenac sodium. When Piper nigrum extract combined with pentazocine showed significant increase in tail flick latency in comparison with pentazocine alone and control group (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The findings suggest that the Piper nigrum extract significantly increased the analgesic activity of diclofenac sodium and pentazocine.
Keywords: Piper nigrum extract, tail flick latency, writhing
Analgesic Activity Of Piper Nigrum Extract Per Se And Its Interaction With Diclofenac Sodium And Pentazocine In Albino Mice, The Internet Journal of Pharmacology 2007 : Volume 5 Number 1 - S. Pooja, R. P. Agrawal, P. Nyati, V. Savita and P. Phadnis

Piper nigrum L. is considered the king of spices throughout the world due to its pungent principle piperine. Peppercorn of Piper nigrum as a whole or its active components are used in most of the food items. Different parts of Piper nigrum including secondary metabolites are also used as drug, preservative, insecticidal and larvicidal control agents. Biologically Piper nigrum is very important specie. The biological role of this specie is explained in different experiments that peppercorn and secondary metabolites of Piper nigrum can be used as Antiapoptotic, Antibacterial, Anti-Colon toxin, Antidepressant, Antifungal, Antidiarrhoeal, Anti-inflammatory, Antimutagenic, Anti-metastatic activity, Anti oxidative, Antiriyretic, Antispasmodic, Antispermatogenic, Antitumor, Antithyroid, Ciprofloxacin potentiator, Cold extremities, Gastric ailments, Hepatoprotective, Insecticidal activity, Intermittent fever and Larvisidal activity. Other roles of this specie includes protection against diabetes induced oxidative stress; Piperine protect oxidation of various chemicals, decreased mitochondrial lipid peroxidation, inhibition of aryl hydroxylation, increased bioavailability of vaccine and sparteine, increase the bioavailability of active compounds, delayed elimination of antiepileptic drug, increased orocecal transit time, piperine influenced and activate the biomembrane to absorb variety of active agents, increased serum concentration, reducing mutational events, tumour inhibitory activity, Piperine inhibite mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, growth stimulatory activity and chemopreventive effect. This review based on the biological role of Piper nigrum can provide that the peppercorn or other parts can be used as crude drug for various diseases while the secondary metabolites such as piperine can be used for specific diseases.
Biological role of Piper nigrum L. (Black pepper): A review - Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, (2012) S1945 - S1953 - Nisar Ahmad, Hina Fazaf, Bilal Haider Abbasi, Shahid Farooq, Mohammad Ali and Mubarak Ali Khan