Bryo-Activities: A Review on How Bryophytes Are Contributing to the Arsenal of Natural Bioactive Compounds against Fungi

Abstract

Usually regarded as less evolved than their more recently diverged vascular sisters, which currently dominate vegetation landscape, bryophytes seem having nothing to envy to the defensive arsenal of other plants, since they had acquired a suite of chemical traits that allowed them to adapt and persist on land. In fact, these closest modern relatives of the ancestors to the earliest terrestrial plants proved to be marvelous chemists, as they traditionally were a popular remedy among tribal people all over the world, that exploit their pharmacological properties to cure the most different diseases. The phytochemistry of bryophytes exhibits a stunning assortment of biologically active compounds such as lipids, proteins, steroids, organic acids, alcohols, aliphatic and aromatic compounds, polyphenols, terpenoids, acetogenins and phenylquinones, thus it is not surprising that substances obtained from various species belonging to such ancestral plants are widely employed as antitumor, antipyretic, insecticidal and antimicrobial. This review explores in particular the antifungal potential of the three Bryophyta divisions—mosses (Musci), hornworts (Anthocerotae) and liverworts (Hepaticae)—to be used as a sources of interesting bioactive constituents for both pharmaceutical and agricultural areas, providing an updated overview of the latest relevant insights.

Natural Products from Bryophytes: From Basic Biology to Biotechnological Applications

“…Rhodobryum giganteum (HuiXinCao) is used for minor heart problems (Harris, 2008). Different biologically active chemicals have been described with antimicrobial (Neomarchantins A and B, and Marchantin C), antifungal (Plagiochin E, Viridiflorol), anticancer (Marchantin A, Porellacetals A-D), antibacterial (mastigophorene C, herbertene-1,2diol and Sacculatal), and/or antiviral (Marchantin A, B and E) properties (Beike et al, 2010;Asakawa et al, 2013;Klavina et al, 2015;Voll ar et al, 2018;Ludwiczuk and Asakawa, 2019;Commisso et al, 2021).…”

Actividad Antioxidante De Los Musgos Breutelia subdisticha, Leptodontium viticulosoides y Pylaisia falcata

“…Estos metabolitos secundarios actúan como compuestos bioactivos [39], catalogándose principalmente como antioxidantes, es decir, como moléculas con actividad redox, dinámicamente involucradas en el mantenimiento del equilibrio redox en la célula. Además, ejercen un efecto inhibidor sobre el crecimiento y desarrollo de patógenos [61,106].…”

“…Los terpenoides y flavonoides son los antioxidantes mejor conocidos en el metabolismo secundario de las briofitas, mostrando un alto nivel de variabilidad en términos de abundancia relativa dentro de las diferentes especies [92,106]. Los flavonoides son potentes captadores de radicales libres y pueden ser utilizados en terapias contra enfermedades asociados a estos radicales [107].…”

“…Lo mismo aplica a los terpenoides que, además de poseer la capacidad de prevenir la progresión de células tumorales, pueden modular el estado redox y actuar sobre procesos celulares como la proliferación celular, diferenciación, inflamación, apoptosis y angiogénesis [100]. Al mismo tiempo, se ha encontrado que la vía biosintética de los polifenoles en los musgos se activa tras el ataque de diferentes patógenos, lo que indica el papel importante de estos metabolitos secundarios en la protección, defensa y acción enzimática de estos organismos [106,108]. Notablemente, el contenido de dichos compuestos fenólicos depende de varios factores como el tipo de sustrato, altitud, clima, hábitat, la condición ambiental o el genotipo [100], lo que soporta la hipótesis anteriormente mencionada de la relación entre el potencial antioxidante de las especies de musgos y su ecología.…”

Bryophytes as a safeguard of fruits from postharvest fungal diseases: A Review

“…Usually, for the assessment of antifungal efficacies, the extracts were made with quite a few organic solvents or even water extractions and a combination of one or two organic solvents. Invariably ethanol, methanol, ether, chloroform, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), chloroform, acetone, and hexane are the preferred choice for this purpose (Commisso et al, 2021). The thalli (gametophyte) and sporophytes of diverse bryophytes of different ages were taken and then surfaced before their crushing in the various solvents.…”