Metabolic profiling of Piper regnellii (Piperaceae) and its dual anti-inflammatory and anti-urolithiatic effects.
Piper regnellii infusion shows significant effects on reducing inflammatory mediators and calcium oxalate crystals, but further research is needed to confirm its clinical relevance.
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this study against the rest of the survodutide (bi 456906) corpusSummary and findings
This study evaluated the anti-inflammatory and anti-urolithiatic effects of Piper regnellii infusion. The infusion was tested at concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mg/mL. Significant reductions in inflammatory mediators and calcium oxalate crystal formation were observed.
Abstract
<h4>Ethnopharmacological relevance</h4>Piper regnellii ("Pariparoba"), is a shrub widely employed in traditional medicine, particularly in the form of leaf infusions or decoctions. These preparations are traditionally used for the treatment of wounds, infections, edema, skin lesions, pain, and other inflammatory conditions.<h4>Aim of the study</h4>Building upon traditional reports of P. regnellii associated with inflammatory conditions, this study combined chemical profiling and bioactivity assays to evaluate its inhibitory effects on key inflammatory mediators (PGE<sub>2</sub> and LTB<sub>4</sub>), alongside its effects on the reduction of calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals.<h4>Materials and methods</h4>The anti-urolithiatic activity of P. regnellii infusion was evaluated using urine containing calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals at concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mg/mL. The results were compared to negative and positive controls (sodium citrate and Cystone®). Anti-inflammatory activity was assessed using an ex vivo human whole blood assay, evaluating key inflammation mediators, prostaglandin E<sub>2</sub> (PGE<sub>2</sub>) and leukotriene B<sub>4</sub> (LTB<sub>4</sub>). The infusion's chemical profile was determined by UHPLC-ESI-HRMS in positive ion mode, using a gradient chromatographic method. Data were processed using MZmine software, and chemical annotation was performed utilizing in-house and online databases.<h4>Results</h4>In the ex vivo anti-inflammatory assay, infusion samples significantly reduced LTB<sub>4</sub> and PGE<sub>2</sub> levels with significant statistical differences compared to the negative control (p ≤ 0.05). The infusion demonstrated inhibition percentages of 57.4% and 75.1% for the release of LTB<sub>4</sub> and PGE<sub>2</sub>, respectively. In the in vitro anti-urolithiatic evaluation, all tested concentrations of P. regnellii showed statistically significant differences compared to the negative control (p ≤ 0.05), with the highest concentration (1.5 mg/mL) demonstrating the strongest crystal reduction capacity (90.4%) and a calculated IC<sub>50</sub> value of 0.21 mg/mL for anti-urolithiatic activity. Metabolic profiling of the aqueous extract revealed the presence of multiple bioactive compounds. The predominant classes of annotated compounds found on P. regnellii infusion were flavonoids, and other classes of compounds were also found. From all detected metabolites, 12 could be annotated at level 2 of confidence.<h4>Conclusions</h4>This study provides scientific evidence supporting the traditional use of P. regnellii infusion related to inflammatory conditions. Additionally, the evaluation of its anti-urolithiatic effects expands the preliminary pharmacological insights into this species. Collectively, these findings suggest that P. regnellii may represent a promising source of bioactive compounds for the development of multitarget strategies addressing both inflammatory processes and urolithiasis-associated mechanisms.