Peperomia Pellucida (L.) Kunth: A Decade of Ethnopharmacological, Phytochemical, and Pharmacological Insights (2014-2025)

Abstract

Peperomia pellucida (L.) Kunth, a tropical herb belonging to the Piperaceae family, is used in traditional medicine for various therapeutic applications. This review aims to comprehensively analyze preclinical evidence (in silico, in vitro, in vivo, cytotoxicity, and toxicity) supporting the pharmacological activities of P. pellucida and elucidate its mechanisms of action and therapeutic potential. Articles were searched in the PubMed and Scopus databases, filtered to those published between 2014 and 2025, to guarantee the most updated research on this plant. These findings indicate that P. pellucida should be explored globally. The bioactive compounds contained in this plant could interact with numerous proteins, such as estrogen receptors, NOS, NF-κB, PPAR-gamma, ACE, aldose reductase, alpha-glucosidase, alpha-amylase, DPP-IV, insulin receptor, and AChE. It was reported in vitro studies that the extracts and essential oils of this plant exerted their pharmacological effects through multiple pathways, such as inhibiting COX, NF-κB, and NOS, and scavenging free radicals, which are driven by terpenoids, phenolics, and flavonoids. The in silico and in vitro studies were in agreement with the in vivo studies, which delineated antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antiplasmodial, and osteogenic activity. As expected, P. pellucida was not toxic towards normal cells or animal models, confirming its safety. Moreover, several articles describe ethnobotanical studies of this plant in Singapore, India, Myanmar, Nigeria, and Indonesia. However, despite promising pharmacological evidence, the clinical applications of P. pellucida remain limited owing to a lack of human studies and open challenges in determining its safety, dosage, and long-term effects. Further research for clinical validation is essential to assess its potential as a therapeutic agent.

Keywords: Peperomia sp; Piperaceae; flavonoids; pellucidin A; pharmacology; phytotherapy; terpenoids.

Figure 1

Scattered diagram showing the number of articles on Peperomia genus plants (Piperaceae) published from 1990 to 2025 plotted against the year of publication.

Figure 2

The leaves and aerial parts of the Peperomia pellucida plant (this image was taken by the first author).