Volatile oil from striped African pepper (Xylopia parviflora, Annonaceae) possesses notable chemopreventive, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial potential.

Fruits of Xylopia parviflora, well known as striped African pepper, are sold in the Cameroonian markets as a flavouring ingredient to make traditional soups. The essential oil hydrodistilled from fruits was analysed for in vitro biological activities, namely cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant, by MTT, nitric oxide inhibitory assay, agar disc diffusion method, and DPPH and ABTS assays. The essential oil composition, analysed by GC and GC-MS, was dominated by monoterpene hydrocarbons (50.0%) responsible for the pepper odour, such as β-pinene (34.0%) and α-pinene (10.3%). The oil induced a strong inhibitory effect on tumour cells MDA-MB 231 and HCT116, with inhibition values close to those of cisplatin. A dose-dependent decrease in NO production was noted in RAW 264.7 macrophages treated with the oil, revealing a promising anti-inflammatory potential. The essential oil showed a measurable antimicrobial activity against all the species tested, while the radical scavenging activity was low.