HPTLC method for analysis of piperine in fruits of Piper species

Piperine, an alkaloid with diverse biological activity commonly occurring in fruits of Piper sp., has high commercial, economical, and medicinal value. In this communication densitometric estimation of piperine from fruits of Piper nigrum L., processed Piper nigrum L. (white pepper), Piper longum L., Piper retrofractum Vahl, Piper cubeba Hunter, and Piper betle L. is reported. Extracts of these fruits and a standard solution of piperine were applied to silica gel F254 HPTLC plates and the plates were developed in a twin-trough chamber with toluene-ethyl acetate-diethyl ether 6:3:1 as mobile phase. The plates were scanned at 337 nm and quantification of piperine was based on a predetermined calibration plot obtained by chromatography of 15 to 75 ng standard. The quantity of piperine was highest in fruits of Piper nigrum L. and least in Piper betle L. The trend was Piper nigrum L. > Piper longum L. > processed Piper nigrum L. > Piper retrofractum Vahl > Piper cubeba Hunter > Piper betle L. The HPTLC method was found to enable simple, convenient, rapid screening and quantification of the active marker piperine in six fruits of Piper sp. commonly used in the Indian traditional system of medicine.