PIPERINE: A NATURAL BIOENHANCER

Herbal sources have been explored recently at very high frequency owing to their lower risk benefit ratio as compared to the modern allopathic medicine systems. Herbal bioenhancer is an agent of herbal origin or any phytomolecule, which is capable of enhancing bioavailability and bioefficacy of a particular drug or nutrient with which it is combined, without any typical pharmacological activity of its own at the dose used. The active compound of both Long pepper (Piper longum) and Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is piperine (1-piperoyl piperidine), which is responsible for bioenhancing effect. Piperine enhances absorption from gastrointestinal tract by various mechanisms and reduces gut metabolism of drugs. Piperine modulates membrane dynamics and lipid environment and increases permeability at site of absorption. Thus, piperine acts as absorption enhancer and is a potent inhibitor of drug metabolism as it inhibits various metabolizing enzymes like human p-glycoproteins, CYP3A4, UDP-glucose dehydrogenase (UDP-GDH), aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AAH) and UDP-glucuronyl transferase. The current review also describes the mechanism of action of piperine and bioavailability action of piperine on drugs and nutrients