Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius, Réduit 80835, Mauritius.
Department of Biology, Science Faculty, Selcuk University, Campus, 42250 Konya, Turkey.
Mar Drugs. 2019 Apr 18;17(4):231. doi: 10.3390/md17040231.
Mangroves are ecologically important plants in marine habitats that occupy the coastlines of many countries. In addition to their key ecological importance, various parts of mangroves are widely used in folklore medicine and claimed to effectively manage a panoply of human pathologies. To date, no comprehensive attempt has been made to compile and critically analyze the published literature in light of its ethnopharmacological uses. This review aims to provide a comprehensive account of the morphological characteristics, ethnobotany, global distribution, taxonomy, ethnopharmacology, phytochemical profiles, and pharmacological activities of traditionally used mangroves. Out of 84 mangrove species, only 27 species were found to be traditionally used, however not all of them are pharmacologically validated. The most common pharmacological activities reported were antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antidiabetic properties. Mangroves traditionally reported against ulcers have not been extensively validated for possible pharmacological properties. Terpenoids, tannins, steroids, alkaloids, flavonoids, and saponins were the main classes of phytochemicals isolated from mangroves. Given that mangroves have huge potential for a wide array of medicinal products and drug discovery to prevent and treat many diseases, there is a dire need for careful investigations substantiated with accurate scientific and clinical evidence to ensure safety and efficient use of these plants and validate their pharmacological properties and toxicity.
红树林是海洋生境中具有重要生态意义的植物，分布在许多国家的海岸线。除了其关键的生态重要性外，红树林的各个部分在民间医学中被广泛应用，并被声称能有效地治疗各种人类疾病。迄今为止，还没有人全面地尝试根据其民族药理学用途来编纂和批判性地分析已发表的文献。本综述旨在全面介绍传统上使用的红树林的形态特征、民族植物学、全球分布、分类学、民族药理学、植物化学特征和药理学活性。在 84 种红树林物种中，只有 27 种被发现具有传统用途，但并非所有物种都经过药理学验证。报道的最常见的药理活性是抗氧化、抗菌和抗糖尿病特性。传统上报道用于治疗溃疡的红树林尚未得到广泛验证其可能的药理特性。萜类化合物、单宁、类固醇、生物碱、类黄酮和皂苷是从红树林中分离出来的主要类别的植物化学物质。鉴于红树林具有巨大的潜力，可以开发出广泛的药物来预防和治疗许多疾病，因此迫切需要进行仔细的调查，并提供准确的科学和临床证据，以确保这些植物的安全性和有效性，并验证其药理特性和毒性。
