Editing Piper (plant) (section)

===In science===
The genus contains species suitable for studying [[natural history]], [[molecular biology]], [[natural product]]s [[chemistry]], [[community ecology]], and [[evolutionary biology]].<ref>{{cite book |author=L. A. Dyer |author2=A. N. Palmer |year=2004 |title=''Piper'': a Model Genus for Studies of Evolution, Chemical Ecology, and Trophic Interactions |publisher=Kluwer Academic Publishers |location=Boston, MA |isbn=978-0-306-48498-8 |url=http://wolfweb.unr.edu/~ldyer/KI059-Dyer-all.pdf}}</ref>

[[File:Piperine crystals.jpg|thumb|[[Crystal]]lized [[piperine]], extracted from black pepper (''Piper nigrum'')]]
''Piper'' is a [[model organism|model genus]] for research in [[ecology and evolutionary biology]]. The diversity and ecological importance of the genus makes it a strong candidate for ecological and evolutionary studies. Most research has focused on the economically important species ''P. nigrum'' (black pepper), ''P.&nbsp;methysticum'' (kava), and ''P.&nbsp;betle'' (betel). A recent study based on DNA sequence analysis suggest that ''P. nigrum'' originated in the [[Western Ghats]] hot spot in India.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sen|first1=Sandeep|last2=Dayanandan|first2=Selvadurai|last3=Davis|first3=Thomson|last4=Ganesan|first4=Rengaian|last5=Jagadish|first5=M.R.|last6=Mathew|first6=P.J.|last7=Ravikanth|first7=Gudasalamani|date=September 2019|title=Origin and evolution of the genus Piper in Peninsular India|journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|volume=138|pages=102–113|doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2019.05.033|pmid=31132521|s2cid=167218493 |issn=1055-7903|url=https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/985469/1/Origin-and-evolution-of-the-genus-Piper-in-P_2019_Molecular-Phylogenetics-an.pdf }}</ref>

The obligate and facultative{{Explain|date=February 2023}} [[ant]] [[Mutualism (biology)|mutualists]] found in some ''Piper'' species have a strong influence on their biology, making them ideal systems for research on the evolution of [[Symbiosis|symbioses]] and the effect of mutualisms on biotic communities.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

Important [[secondary metabolite]]s found in pepper plants are [[piperine]] and [[chavicine]], which were first isolated from Black Pepper, and reported to have antibiotic activities. Preliminary research reports has shown that piperine has an antibacterial activity against various bacteria such as ''S. aureus'',<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Khan |first1=IA. |display-authors=etal | title = Piperine, a Phytochemical Potentiator of Ciprofloxacin against Staphylococcus aureus| journal = Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy | volume = 50 | issue = 2 | pages = 810–812 | pmid = 16436753 | doi=10.1128/aac.50.2.810-812.2006 | pmc=1366922 | year=2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kumar |first1=A. |display-authors=etal | title = Novel structural analogues of piperine as inhibitors of the NorA efflux pump of Staphylococcus aureus| journal = Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy | volume = 61 |issue= 6 | pages = 1270–1276 | pmid = 18334493 | doi=10.1093/jac/dkn088 | year=2008| doi-access= free }}</ref> ''Streptococcus mutans'',<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dwivedi |first1=D. |display-authors=etal | title = Effects of the natural compounds embelin and piperine on the biofilm-producing property of Streptococcus mutans | journal = Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine | volume = 6 | issue = 1 | pages = 57–61 | pmid = 26870681 | doi=10.1016/j.jtcme.2014.11.025 | pmc=4738039 | year=2016}}</ref> and gastric cancer pathogen ''Helicobacter pylori'' <ref>{{cite journal | last1= Tharmalingam |first1= N. |last2=Kim |first2=SH. |last3=Park |first3=M. | title = Inhibitory effect of piperine on Helicobacter pylori growth and adhesion to gastric adenocarcinoma cells | journal = Infectious Agents and Cancer | volume = 16 | issue = 9 | pages = 43 | doi = 10.1186/1750-9378-9-43 | pmid = 25584066 | pmc=4290101 | year=2014 |doi-access= free }}</ref> and decreased ''H. pylori'' toxin entry to gastric epithelial cells.<ref>{{cite journal | last1= Tharmalingam |first1= N. |last2=Park |first2=M. |last3=LEE |first3=M.H | title = Piperine treatment suppresses Helicobacter pylori toxin entry in to gastric epithelium and minimizes β-catenin mediated oncogenesis and IL-8 secretion in vitro | journal = American Journal of Translational Research | volume = 15 | issue = 8 | pages = 885–98 | pmid = 27158376 | pmc=4846933 | year=2016}}</ref> The [[piperidine]] [[functional group]] is named after the former, and [[piperazine]] (which is not found in ''P. nigrum'' in noticeable quantities) was in turn named after piperidine.

The significant secondary metabolites of kava are [[kavalactone]]s and [[flavokawain]]s. [[Pipermethystine]] is suspected to be the main [[hepatotoxic]] compound in this plant's stems and leaves.