Antioxidant, antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities of alcoholic extracts from Piper aequale Vahl leaves

Piper is a large plant genus containing essential oils rich in mono and sesquiterpenes and other secondary metabolites showing different biological activities. Piper aequale, cordoncillo, is used in México for urinary and prostate ailments, suggesting a potential therapeutic effect against prostate cancer. Due to the lack of chemical and pharmacological information on this species, in this work antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities were evaluated. Leaves ethanol and methanol extracts were used to assess antioxidant activity (DPPH, FRAP), antimicrobial activity (Kirby-Bauer) against clinically relevant strains and antiproliferative activity on prostate cancer cell line PC-3 (MTT assay). Methanolic extract exhibited the highest antioxidant activity, with 69.08% (DPPH) and inhibitory effects on pathogenic bacterial strains associated with urinary tract infections. Ethanolic extract displayed moderate antiproliferative activity (IC₅₀ 81.28 µg/mL), showing cytotoxicity from 100 µg/mL. This study demonstrates P. aequale exhibits inhibitory effects against bacteria associated with urinary problems and antiproliferative properties in prostate cancer cells.