Bioactive Compounds in Mangrove Plants
Summary
Mangrove plants occupy intertidal zones in tropical and subtropical regions, where they synthesize a wealth of specialised metabolites to thrive under saline, anoxic and microbial-rich conditions. These metabolites encompass diverse classes such as terpenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, tannins, alkaloids, saponins and steroids. Many of these compounds confer antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer and antiparasitic activities, reflecting both ecological defence and ethnomedical value. Structural complexity ranges from simple phenolic acids to highly condensed polycyclic terpenoids and rare ellagic acid derivatives, often elucidated by advanced spectroscopic methods. Beyond direct extraction, symbiotic fungi and endophytes associated with mangroves contribute to the chemical repertoire, yielding unique bioactive scaffolds. This chemical diversity underpins ongoing efforts in drug discovery, with practical applications spanning novel antiparasitic agents to lead scaffolds for cancer therapeutics. Sustainable harvesting and biotechnological cultivation of mangrove species are integral to balancing conservation with bioprospecting, while integrative metabolomic and genomic approaches continue to reveal global patterns of phytochemical distribution and biosynthetic pathways. The study of mangrove bioactives thus bridges marine ecology, natural-product chemistry and translational pharmacology, offering promising avenues for both fundamental science and human health.
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Bioactive Compounds in Mangrove Plants publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in bioactive compounds in mangrove plants across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Bioactive compound: A naturally occurring molecule that produces a biological effect on living cells or organisms.
Schistosomicidal: Capable of killing or inhibiting the parasitic flatworms responsible for schistosomiasis.
Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy: An analytical technique that probes the magnetic properties of atomic nuclei to elucidate molecular structure.
Flavonoid: A class of polyphenolic plant secondary metabolites characterised by a C6–C3–C6 skeleton and known for antioxidant activity.
Terpenoid: A diverse family of natural products derived from isoprene units, often forming complex cyclic structures with ecological and pharmacological roles.
References
- Challenging Structure Elucidation of Lumnitzeralactone, an Ellagic Acid Derivative from the Mangrove Lumnitzera racemosa. Marine Drugs (2023).
- Methanolic Extract of Rhizophora mangle (Rhizophoraceae) Leaves: Phytochemical Characterization and Anthelmintic Evaluation against Schistosoma mansoni. Pharmaceuticals (2024).
- Anticancer potential of phytochemicals derived from mangrove plants: Comprehensive mechanistic insights. Food Science & Nutrition (2024).
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