Standardizing antisickling phenylalanine peptide derivatives from philippine cordillera rice terrace paddy bund weed extracts in ifugao heritage zones

Researchers have identified and standardized phenylalanine peptide derivatives from paddy bund weeds in the UNESCO-listed Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras as potent antisickling agents. These compounds, derived from mixed weed biomass collected along Ifugao heritage zones, demonstrated significant sickling inhibition (72.4% at 200 µg/mL) with an IC50 of 52.3 µg/mL. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) revealed two specific phenylalanine-conjugated dipeptides alongside flavonoid glycosides, establishing a quality specification for consistent batch production. This study validates traditional Ifugao practices while providing a novel pharmacological foundation for managing hyperviscosity syndromes, including sickle cell disease.

Sahoo, P. (2025). Standardizing antisickling phenylalanine peptide derivatives from philippine cordillera rice terrace paddy bund weed extracts in ifugao heritage zones. International Journal of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 7(2), 205–208. https://doi.org/10.33545/27067009.2025.v7.i2d.278