Alkamides from piper longum and piper nigrum as inhibitors of IL-6 action

Abstract

Blocking of IL-6 has been postulated to be an effective therapy in the pathogenesis of several inflammatory diseases. The current study was performed to examine the potential effects of alkamides isolated from P. longum and P. nigrum on IL-6 induced Stat3 activation and identify the structure-activity relationship of these alkamides in human hepatoma cells. Among 10 alkamides isolated from P. longum and P. nigrum, compounds 6, 7 and 9 were identified as strong inhibitors of IL-6 action, which inhibit IL-6 induced Stat3-dependent luciferase activities. These inhibitory activities were positively influenced by the presence of piperidine moiety.