Download medicinal properties of mangrove plants – an overview introduction

International Journal of Bioassays
ISSN: 2278-778X
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Review Article
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF MANGROVE PLANTS – AN OVERVIEW
Revathi P1*, T Jeyaseelan Senthinath2, P Thirumalaikolundusubramanian3 and N Prabhu2
Department of Pharmacology1, Microbiology2 and Medicine3
Chennai Medical College Hospital and Research Centre (SRM Group), Irungalur, Tiruchirapalli, India
Received for publication: September 23, 2013; Revised: October 15, 2013; Accepted: November 17, 2013
Abstract: Perhaps the most important role of mangroves is that they protect vulnerable coastlines from wave action
because they hold the soil together and prevent coastal erosion. Mangroves shield inland areas during storms and
minimize damage. For example, learning from the 2005 tsunami in Asia, there were no deaths in the areas which had
mangrove forests, compared to those areas without, which suffered massive causalities. Many species in the
mangrove forest have medicinal value and it has been proved that these plants are antiviral and antibacterial in
nature. Community participation is must to enhance mangrove habitats. Plant species in this ecosystem like Avicennia
Marina, Sesuvium Portulacastrum and Suaeda Monoica have chemical properties that can kill vectors namely
Anopheles, Culex and Aedes, which cause diseases such as malaria, filariasis and dengue fever.
Keywords: Mangrove Plants, Medicinal Properties, Useful To Humankind
INTRODUCTION
Traditionally more than 100 numbers of mangroves
and mangrove-associated plants were used for the
treatment of diabetes, but only a very few number of
plants are evaluated and documented (Bandaranayake,
2002). The antidiabetic activities of leaves of mangrove
plants Rhizophora mucronata and Ceriops decandra had
been documented and the gut perfusion studies on
long Evans rats reported the mode of action of the
leaves of Rhizophora mucronata in hypoglycemic
conditions (Ramanathan et al., 2008; Nabeel et al.,
2010; Gaffar et al., 2011). Some recent studies showed
the medicinal value of mangroves and associated
plants persist to provide invaluable treatment
modalities, both in modern and traditional systems of
medicine (Kathiresan and Ramanathan, 1997).
The therapeutic applications of the black
mangrove like Aegiceras corniculatum (Linn.)
distributed in coastal and estuarine areas of India are
well studied. Also, the ethnopharmacological
consequence pointed out that the mangrove plants are
traditionally used for the treatment of rheumatism,
painful arthritis, inflammation, asthma antioxidant, free
radical scavenging, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive,
diabetes and hepatoprotective actions (Roome et al.,
2008). However, there are no proper scientific reports
available regarding the effects of Aegiceras
corniculatum on Diabetes mellitus. Mangroves and
associated plants provide a wide domain for
therapeutic application in recent years, most yet to be
explored. The leaves of A. corniculatum are reported
that it have rich in flavonoids with proven antiinflammatory and antioxidant property (Banerjee et al.,
2008; Gurudeeban et al., 2012).
Evaluation of physiological and toxic effects,
solvent used for extraction, route of administration
and acute or chronic effect of A. corniculatum leave
extract are quite diversified, which is encouraged by
delineating the beneficial applications and confines
various assessments. Alloxan is an oxygenated
pyrimidine derivative which selectively destroys insulinsecreting beta-cells in the experimental animals, which
results in alloxan diabetes (Lenzen, 2008). In general,
the blood sugar level increased as expected in alloxaninjected animals, since alloxan causes a massive
reduction in insulin release, by the destruction of the
beta cells of the islets of Langerhans and inducing
hyperglycemia (Bouwens and Rooman, 2005).
Mangrove is mainly defined as an intertidal
wetland ecosystem formed by a very particular
association of animals and plants which multiply
ornately in the coastal areas and river estuaries
throughout the low lying tropical and sub-tropical
latitudes. These wetland ecosystems are among the
most productive and sundry in the earth and more than
80% of marine catches are directly or indirectly
dependent on mangrove and other coastal ecosystems
universally. They occupy large tracts along sheltered
coasts, estuaries and in deltas where they are
influenced by tides and widely different conditions of
salinity and rainfall regimes. They are also found
around coastal lagoons, communicating with the sea
and where the effect of tides may be weak and the
salinity very low. The term mangrove is also used to
designate halophytic (salt loving) and salt resistant
marine tidal forests comprising of trees, shrubs, palms,
epiphytes, ground ferns and grasses, which are
*Corresponding Author:
Dr. Revathi P,
Associate Professor of Pharmacology,
Chennai Medical College Hospital and Research Centre,
Tiruchirapalli, India.
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Revathi et al.,
associated in stands or groves (Bandaranayake, 2002).
Mangroves are usually found only in tropical
climates, as they need consistently warm conditions for
development and survival and South India is the best
place in India for the establishment of the mangroves.
In countries such as India, Malaysia, Indonesia etc,
mangroves provided safety for people, a function often
invaluable in a region long prominent for its piracy and
capturing forays. Furthermore, mangroves typically
border streams and river mouths sites, which were
particularly favorable for settlement because of
accessibility and availability of fresh water (Banerjee et
al., 2008; Gurudeeban et al., 2012).
Mangroves are woody, specialized types of trees
of the tropics that can live on the edge where
rainforests meet oceans. Found on sheltered coastlines
and river deltas, they grow in brackish wetlands
between land and sea where other plants cannot grow.
Highly stressful habitat involving daily changes in pH of
soil and water, humidity, salinity, temperature and tidal
cycles may be possible reasons for many of these
plants to synthesize a large number of different
bioactive phytochemicals, many of which have been
found to have extensive use in industry and human
health care. Due to their medicinal values, different
parts of these plants have been used for ages by the
local people as folk medicine for curing many diseases
(Bandaranayake, 1998).
True mangroves are mainly limited to intertidal
areas between the high water levels of neap and spring
tides. Plant species from true mangroves belong to at
least 20 different families. The uses of mangroves are
often quoted in scientific and popular articles
(Bandaranayake, 1998; Vannucci, 1989) and fall in two
major categories,
1.
2.
Very important ecological functions such as
control of coastal erosion and protection of
coastal land, stabilization of sediment and
natural purification of coastal water from
pollution.
Apart from prawn fisheries, many other
species of economic importance are also
associated with crabs, shrimp, oysters,
lobsters and fish.
Traditionally, the mangroves have been exploited
for firewood and charcoal and their uses include
construction of dwellings, furniture, boats and fishing
gear and production of tannins for dying and leather
production. Mangroves provide food and a wide
variety of traditional products and artifacts for
mangrove dwellers. The mangrove leaves are useful
contributors to the nutrient system of the mangrove
environment. It is known that mangrove leaves contain
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sufficient amounts of minerals, vitamins and amino
acids, which are essential for the growth, and
nourishment of marine organisms and livestock.
Mangrove foliage plays an important role in the
formation of detritus, which is utilized by several
estuarine and marine detritovorous organisms and
mangrove leaves make a superior fodder due to their
high salt and iodine content and have numerous
mangrove plants are been used in folklore medicine,
and recently, extracts from mangroves and mangrovedependent species have proven activity against human,
animal and plant pathogens but only limited
investigations have been carried out to identify the
metabolites responsible for their bioactivities.
The major families and genus of mangroves having
wide medicinal properties are Acanthaceae (Acanthus
hirsutus, Acanthus ilicifolius); Myrsinaceae (Aegiceras
corniculatum); Avicenniaceae (Avicennia officinalis);
Lecythidaceae (Barringtonia racemosa), Leguminosae
(Caesalpinia mimosoides); Rhizophoraceae (Ceriops
decandra); Clusiaceae (Calophyllum inophyllum);
Euphorbiaceae (Excoecaria agallocha); Arecaceae (Nypa
fruticans); Pandanaceae (Pandanus foetidus); Fabaceae
(Pongamia pinnata, Derris scandens); Tamaricaceae
(Tamarix indica); Convolvulaceae (Ipomoea imperati, I.
pes-caprae) and Sterculiaceae (Heritiera littoralis)
Chemistry of mangroves:
The common chemical; constituents present in the
mangroves are aliphatic alcohols and acids, amino acids
and
alkaloids,
carbohydrates,
carotenoids,
hydrocarbons,
free
fatty
acids
including
polyunsaturated
fatty
acids
(PUFAs),
lipids,
pheromones, phorbol esters, phenolics, and related
compounds, steroids, triterpenes, and their glycosides,
tannins, other terpenes. The additional newer
components like gums and glues to alkaloids and
saponins and other substances of interest to modern
industry and medicine. Chemicals such as amino acids,
carbohydrates and proteins, are products of primary
metabolism and are vital for the maintenance of life
processes, while others like alkaloids, phenolics,
steroids, terpenoids, are products of secondary
metabolism and have toxicological, pharmacological
and ecological importance.
Heterocycles are those molecules having rings
composed of carbon and one or more heteroatoms
chiefly nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur. They can be
unsaturated or aromatic heterocycles or saturated
heterocycles and are usually be five or six membered.
They exist either as ‘independent’ rings or fused
normally to benzene rings. Alkaloids, chromenes,
coumarins, flavonoids, xanthones etc belong to this
general class.
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Alkaloids are nitrogenous bases (usually
heterocyclic), and are structurally the most diverse
class of secondary metabolites. The manifold
pharmacological activities have always excited man’s
interest, and selected plant products containing
alkaloids have been used as poison for hunting, murder
and euthanasia as euphoriants, psychedelics,
stimulants and medicine.
The phenolic compound embraces a vast range of
organic substances, which are aromatic compounds
with hydroxyl substituent and some possessing
antibiotic properties. Most are polyphenolic and
flavonoids form the largest group which occurs widely
in the plant kingdom. However, phenolic quinones,
lignans, xanthones, coumarins and other classes exist
in considerable numbers. In addition to monomeric and
dimeric structures, there are three important groups of
phenolic polymers - lignins, black melanin pigments of
plants, and the tannins of woody plants. Plant
polyphenols are economically important because they
make major contributions to the taste and flavor and
color of our food and drink. It has been recognized for
some time that several classes of flavonoids play a
significant role in many physiological processes and
show antioxidant and fungicidal activity and are natural
antihistamines.
Flavonoid, and flavonol-lignan derivatives inhibit
lipid peroxidation and are potent quenchers of triplet
oxygen. A variety of modifications of the flavonoid
skeleton lead to a large class of compounds that
includes isoflavones, isoflavonones and chalcones,
some isoflavones are now been marketed as
therapeutic agents for
menstrual disorders.
Polyhydroxylated chalcones such as those found in
Pongamia
pinnata,
which
are
biosynthetic
intermediates between cinnamic acids and flavonoids
also show considerable antioxidant activity.
Anthocyanins, are pigments, which occur as glycosides
(often glucosides), hydrolysis of, which provides
colored aglycones, known as anthocyanidins.
Medicinal Applications:
Medicinal plants continue to provide valuable
therapeutic agents, both in modern medicine and in
traditional systems. Mangroves are woody plants
growing at the interface between the land and sea in
tropical and subtropical latitudes, where they exist
under conditions of high salinity, extreme tides, strong
winds, high temperatures, and muddy, anaerobic soils.
Mangroves have highly developed morphological and
physiological adaptations to the extreme conditions of
their environment. Thus, it is possible that the
mangroves contain a bioactive compound that may be
of potential use in the long-term treatment of diabetics
and other major disorders and diseases (Goksel and
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Mehmet, 2008; Kathiresan and Bingham,
Kathiresan, 2000).
2001;
Why mangrove not used directly as food source?
Mangrove plants are not commonly used directly
as a food source, probably due to the high levels of
tannins and other distasteful chemicals. There is
processing of the hypocotyls of some species as a food
source (eg, Avicennia marina). This process is common
knowledge to many coastal groups, but is unknown to
people from coastal areas. It was suggested that this is
because indigenous diet was culturally determined and
when migrated into new areas; not necessarily
experiment with new foods, but in the case of the
coastal village people from India, sea level changes
isolated them on the island and there was a major
change from fresh water to marine as the Gulf flooded
(Alongi, 2002).
Numerous mangrove plants are used in folklore
medicine. Extracts from mangroves and mangrovedependent species have proven effective against
human, animal and plant pathogens, but only limited
investigations have been carried out to identify the
metabolites responsible for their bioactivities (Roome
et al., 2011).
Skin disorders and sores – including leprosy – may
be treated with ashes or bark infusions of certain
species of mangrove. Reported to be an astringent,
emmenagogue, expectorant, hemostat, styptic and
tonic, red mangrove is a folk remedy for angina,
asthma, backache, boils, constipation, convulsions,
diarrhea, dysentery, dyspepsia, elephantiasis, eye
ailments, fever, fungal infections, headaches,
hemorrhage, inflammation, jaundice, kidney stones,
lesions, malaria, malignancies, rheumatism, snakebites,
sores, sore throat, syphilis, toothache, tuberculosis,
ulcers and wounds (Rahman et al., 2011).
A cure for throat cancer by gargling with extract of
mangrove bark has been reported by many scientists.
More information on the chemical constituents of
these plants is needed, not only for the discovery of
new drugs, but because such information may be of
use to those interested in "deciphering" the value of
folklore remedies. The mangroves are found in all over
the world where the importances of folk lore
applications get varied depends upon the utilization of
such plants for medicinal applications. The distribution
of such mangrove plants all over the world is depicted
in Table 1.
The uses of mangroves falls into two categories,
firstly the use of the mangrove ecosystem as a whole
or its conversion to other uses, and secondly, the use
of products from the mangrove ecosystem.
Traditionally, people have used mangroves for the
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Revathi et al.,
benefit of the local community, but increasing
populations have led to an increasing non-sustainable
abuse of the resources. Mangroves are used in
flavouring agents, textiles, mats, paper, housing,
baskets, boats and tapa cloth and also used as staple
food. The indigenous people of Australia and Sri Lanka
use extracts from mangrove plants as valuable sources
of dyes.
Table.1: Distribution of major mangrove forests around
the world (Sarker et al., 2010)
Region
South and South
East Asia
Middle
East
Australasia
North and South
America and the
Caribbean
Africa
Country
The Sundarbans - Bangladesh and India; Pichavaram –
India; Balochistal – Pakistan; Estuarine mangroves –
Thailand; Srilanka; The Phillippines, East China –
Taiwan; Japan; Malaysia; Eastern Indonesia – Borneo
and Java
Arabian Peninsula; Red Sea; Gulf (Bahrain, Qatar, UAE
and Oman); Western and Eastern Australia; South
Pacific islands; Pupua New Guinea; Solomons islands
Florida and Bahamas – USA; Mexico; Puerto Rico;
Eastern Venezuela; Trinidad; Guiana – Brazil
North West of Africa stretching from Mauritania to
Sierra Leone; West of Africa from Liberia to Nigeria;
South West Africa from Nigeria to Angola; East of
Africa from Somalia to Tanzania; Mozambique;
Madagascar and South Africa
This review has revealed various medicinal
properties appears to be widespread among mangrove
plants, and thorough and systematic phytochemical
and pharmacological studies are much needed to
discover new antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory,
antipyretic medicinal entities, etc from mangrove
plants.
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Source of support: Nil
Conflict of interest: None Declared
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