Lin, J., Zheng, X., Zhong, X., Lu, X., Zhang, W., Jiang, Y. (2026). Chemical basis for the antioxidant activity of Piper nigrum: integrative profiling of volatile components from multi-origin black and white pepper.  Food Chem 507(): 148233.

FBrf0264752

Research paper

The antioxidant and antitumor effects of pepper (Piper nigrum) have received significant attention, but its multicomponent synergistic mechanism remains unclear. This study employed gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to analyze the volatile chemical composition of black pepper extracts (BPE) and white pepper extracts (WPE) from three regions in China. Network pharmacological analysis was then performed on 44 common components identified across all samples. Results suggested that piperine, pellitorine, and cubebin may regulate MAPK, PI3K-AKT, and cAMP signaling pathways to exert antioxidant effects, with molecular docking confirming high binding activity to targets such as AKT1 and EGFR. In vitro and in vivo assays demonstrated that pepper extracts (PE) directly enhanced antioxidant capacity in female flies by increasing superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity but had limited effects in males. Gender-specific differences were also observed in hydrogen peroxide resistance and feeding behavior. These findings systematically reveal the multi-component synergistic antioxidant mechanism of PE and provide a scientific basis for further application.