Unchern S, Nagata K, Saito H, Fukuda J
Department of Chemical Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Biol Pharm Bull. 1994 Mar;17(3):403-6. doi: 10.1248/bpb.17.403.
The present study reveals that piperine, a pungent alkaloid present in various Piper species, is cytotoxic to cultured brain neurons. Exposure to piperine (12.5-100 microM) for 72 h caused a concentration-dependent reduction in the survival of primary cultured neurons from various regions of the embryonic rat brain under high density cell culture conditions. There were relative regional differences in the susceptibility to cytotoxic effects of piperine in which septum and hippocampus showed higher vulnerability among the eight regions. The primary cultures of septal and hippocampal neurons under low density cell culture condition were performed to evaluate the contribution of non-neuronal cells. The concentration-response profiles in both high and low density cell culture conditions were comparable (septum: EC50 = 43 and 27 microM, hippocampus: EC50 = 50 and 44 microM, under high and low density cell culture conditions, respectively) suggesting a minor role of non-neuronal cells on cytotoxicity of piperine to developing neurons.
本研究表明，胡椒碱（一种存在于多种胡椒属植物中的辛辣生物碱）对培养的脑神经元具有细胞毒性。在高密度细胞培养条件下，将原代培养的胚胎大鼠脑不同区域的神经元暴露于胡椒碱（12.5 - 100微摩尔）72小时，会导致神经元存活率呈浓度依赖性降低。胡椒碱细胞毒性作用的易感性存在相对的区域差异，其中在八个区域中，隔区和海马区表现出更高的脆弱性。在低密度细胞培养条件下进行隔区和海马区神经元的原代培养，以评估非神经元细胞的作用。在高密度和低密度细胞培养条件下的浓度 - 反应曲线具有可比性（隔区：在高密度和低密度细胞培养条件下，半数有效浓度分别为43和27微摩尔；海马区：分别为50和44微摩尔），这表明非神经元细胞对胡椒碱对发育中神经元的细胞毒性作用较小。
