Peperomia pellucida (L.

) Kunth
Ø Characteristics of Peperomia pellucida
Peperomia pellucida is a herbaceous plant, often
spreading when mature, with a height of about 20 - 30cm.
The tree trunk is small and smooth, with a lot of water and
is slightly viscous.
The leaves are clear green and grow alternately. The
leaf blades are membranous, stemmed and have many
similar shapes. Usually triangular or oval shaped, with a
heart at the base, while the tip is slightly blunt and pointed.
Leaves are about 15 - 20mm long with a width almost
equal to the sepal.
Peperomia pellucida flowers grow in long clusters at the top of the tree and join together to form
plumb-shaped flowers with spikes at the top. Flowers are about 2-3 times longer than leaves. The berry
is spherical and has a short hard point at the top.
Ø Nutritional composition of crab leg vegetables
 Mainly 92% water, so eating this vegetable is very cool and has a cooling effect
 The remaining 8% of ingredients are fiber and vitamins and minerals
 277mg potassium/100g Peperomia pellucida
 224mg calcium/ 100g Peperomia pellucida
 62mg magnesium/100g Peperomia pellucida
 5.2mg vitamin C/ 100g Peperomia pellucida
 24 calories/100g of Peperomia pellucida
Ø The chemistry and biological activities of Peperomia pellucida (Piperaceae)
Peperomia pellucida (L.) Kunth is an annual weed with a preference to humid places with
reduced solar radiation. This plant is mainly distributed in the Neotropics, Africa, Southeast Asia, and
Australia. It is popularly employed in the treatment of a variety of health conditions such as abscesses,
abdominal pain, skin sores, conjunctivitis, measles, and kidney troubles. Several studies have also
described its antimicrobial, cytotoxic, antidiabetic and a variety of other bioactivities.
Peperomia pellucida bioactivities such as antimicrobial, cytotoxic, antioxidant, fracture healing,
antidiabetic and anti-hypercholesterolemia have been described in several literature sources.
Ø Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of Peperomia pellucida (L.) HBK (Piperaceae)
An aqueous extract of the aerial part of Peperomia pellucida (L.) HBK (Piperaceae) was tested
for anti-inflammatory (paw edema induced by carrageenin and arachidonic acid) and analgesic activity
(abdominal writhes and hot plate) in rats and mice, respectively. Oral administration of 200 and
400mg/kg of the aqueous extract exhibited an anti-inflammatory activity in the carrageenin test, which
was based on interference with prostaglandin synthesis, as confirmed by the arachidonic acid test. In
the abdominal writhing test induced by acetic acid, 400mg/kg of the plant extract had the highest
analgesic activity, whereas in the hot-plate test the best dose was 100mg/kg. The LD50 showed that
Peperomia pellucida (5000mg/kg) presented low toxicity.
Ø Characterization of anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant properties and chemical
compositions of Peperomia pellucida leaf extract
 Peperomia pellucida leaf extract was characterized for its anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant
activities, and chemical compositions. Anticancer activity of P. pellucida leaf extract was determined
through Colorimetric MTT (tetrazolium) assay against human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) cell line
and the antimicrobial property of the plant extract was revealed by using two-fold broth micro-dilution
method against 10 bacterial isolates. Antioxidant activity of the plant extract was then characterized
using α, α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging method and the chemical
compositions were screened and identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
The results of present study indicated that P. pellucida leaf extract possessed anticancer activities with
half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 10.4±0.06 µg/ml. The minimum inhibitory
concentration (MIC) values were ranged from 31.25 to 125 mg/l in which the plant extract was found
to inhibit the growth of Edwardsiella tarda, Escherichia coli, Flavobacterium sp., Pseudomonas
aeruginosa and Vibrio cholerae at 31.25 mg/l; Klebsiella sp., Aeromonas hydrophila and Vibrio
alginolyticus at 62.5 mg/l; and it was able to control the growth of Salmonella sp. and Vibrio
parahaemolyticus at 125 mg/l. At the concentration of 0.625 ppt, the plant extract was found to inhibit
30% of DPPH, free radical. Phytol (37.88%) was the major compound in the plant extract followed by
2-Naphthalenol, decahydro-(26.20%), Hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester (18.31%) and 9, 12-
Octadecadienoic acid (Z, Z)-, methyl ester (17.61%). Findings from this study indicated that methanol
extract of P. pellucida leaf possessed vast potential as medicinal drug especially in breast cancer
treatment.
Ø In vivo anti-inflammatory and in vitro antioxidant activities of Peperomia pellucida
Peperomia pellucida is widely used in the traditional medicine such as in the treatment of
inflammation, gout, arthritis and wound healing.
Ø Traditional uses, phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicity review of Peperomia pellucida
(L.) Kunth
Peperomia pellucida (L.) Kunth.(Fam. Piperaceae) has been used as traditional medicine
worldwide, and some scientific data regarding this plant also exist. The pharmacological studies of
extracts, fractions, or isolated compounds of this plant show such activities as analgesic, anti-
inflammatory, antipyretic, antioxidant, antihyperglicemia, antihyperuricemia, burn healing, depressant
effect, gastroprotective, hypotensive, cytotoxic, antimicrobial, antisickling cell, lipase inhibitory,
fibrinolytic and thrombolytic, antidiarrhoeal, as well as antiosteoporotic. These activities are induced
by the plant’s many types of chemical compounds, including Patuloside A, Dillapiolle, and
Pachypophyllin. In conclusion, P. pellucida (L.) Kunth has wide traditional and pharmacological uses
in various pathophysiological conditions. Therefore, it is an attractive subject for further experimental
and clinical investigations.