Piperine is a N-acylpiperidine that is piperidine substituted by a (1E,3E)-1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-5-oxopenta-1,3-dien-5-yl group at the nitrogen atom. It is an alkaloid isolated from the plant Piper nigrum. It has a role as a NF-kappaB inhibitor, a plant metabolite, a food component and a human blood serum metabolite. It is a member of benzodioxoles, a N-acylpiperidine, a piperidine alkaloid and a tertiary carboxamide. It is functionally related to an (E,E)-piperic acid.