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Abstract:
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Mangroves are specialised ecosystems developed along estuarine sea
coasts and river mouths in tropical and subtropical regions of the world,
mainly in the intertidal zone. Hence, the ecosystem and its biological
components is under the influence of both marine and freshwater
conditions and has developed a set of physiological adaptations to
overcome problems of anoxia, salinity and frequent tidal inundations. This
has led to the assemblage of a wide variety of plant and animal species of
special adaptations suited to the ecosystem.
The path of photosynthesis in mangroves is different from other
glycophytes. There are modifications or alterations in other physiological
processes such as carbohydrate metabolism or polyphenol synthesis. As
they survive under extreme conditions of salinity, temperature, tides and
anoxic soil conditions they may have chemical compounds, which protect
them from these destructive elements. Mangroves are necessarily tolerant
of high salt levels and have mechanisms to take up water despite strong
osmotic potentials. Some also take up salts, but excrete them through
specialised glands in the leaves. Others transfer salts into senescent leaves
or store them in the bark or the wood. Still others simply become
increasingly conservative in their water use as water salinity increases. A
usual transportation or biosynthetic path as other plants cannot be expected
in mangrove plants.
In India, the states like West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil
Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra, and
Gujarat occupy vast area of mangroves. Kerala has only 6 km2 total
mangrove area with Rhizophora apiculata, Rhizophora mucronata,
Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Bruguiera cylindrica, Avicennia officinalis,
Sonneratia caseolaris, Sonneratia apetala and Kandelia candal, as the
important species present, most of which belong to the family
Rhizophoraceae.Rhizophoraceae mangroves are ranked as “major elements of
mangroves” as they give the real shape of this unique and interesting
ecosystem and these mangrove species most productive and typical
characteristic ecosystem of World renowned. It was found that the
Rhizophoraceae mangrove extracts exhibit several bioactive properties.
Various parts of these mangroves are used in ethnomedicinal practices.
Even though extracts from these mangroves possess therapeutic activity
against humans, animal and plant pathogens, the specific metabolites
responsible for these bioactivities remains to be elucidated. Various parts of
these mangroves are used in ethnomedicinal practices. There is a gap of
information towards the chemistry of Rhizophoraceae mangroves from
Kerala.
Thorough phytochemical investigation can achieve the validity of
ethnomedicines as well as apply the use of mangrove plants in the
development of new drugs. Such studies can pave a firm base for their use
in biomarker and chemotaxonomic studies as well as for the better
management of the existing mangrove ecosystem. In this study, the various
chemical parameters including minerals, biochemical components,
bioactive and biomarker molecules were used to classify and assess the
possible potentials of the mangrove plants of the true mangrove family
Rhizophoraceae from Kochi. |