Tetrahydropiperine

Tetrahydropiperine is a derivative of piperine and an arylpentanamide originally isolated from P. longum that has diverse biological activities. It is an agonist of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1; EC50 = 6.3 µM). It inhibits the cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoform CYP1A1/arylhydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH; IC50 = 23 µM) and 7-methoxycoumarin O-demethylase (MOCD) activity (IC50 = 25 µM) in rat liver microsomes. Tetrahydropiperine increases skin pigmentation in a mouse model of vitiligo when 100 µl of a 175 mM solution is administered topically, an effect that can be enhanced by subsequent suberythemal ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Formulations containing tetrahydropiperine have been used to increase bioavailability of compounds applied to the skin.