Bryophytes: A Potential Source of Antioxidants

Abstract

A variety of degenerative diseases are caused by free radicals. Oxidative stress, the major cause of the diseases, is due to the imbalance between the free radicals and the antioxidants. To overcome this imbalance, the body needs antioxidants whether endogenously present or supplied from exogenous sources. Hence, the search of effective natural antioxidants is greatly needed to fight the onset of degenerative diseases and aging. Indeed, vascular plants are well-known sources of good and efficient natural antioxidants. Non-tracheophytes are however relatively unexplored. Interestingly, these atracheophytes are endowed with the remarkable property of desiccation tolerance which makes them unique in the plant kingdom. The property is attributed to its specialized structure and rich reservoir of phytochemicals. Therefore, there is a need to bioprospect this rich resource for antioxidants.

Extracts Characterization and In Vitro Evaluation of Potential Immunomodulatory Activities of the Moss Hypnum cupressiforme Hedw.

“…The majority of secondary metabolites from mosses belong to flavonoids, terpenoids, and bibenzyls. In addition, there are also compounds such as fatty acids and acetophenols [ 10 ]. It is crucial to emphasize that the quantitative and even qualitative composition of the secondary metabolites may be influenced by the environment.…”

Modern Use of Bryophytes as a Source of Secondary Metabolites

“…Metabolites such as marchantin A, plagochilin E, and riccardin C exhibit cytotoxic activities against chemoresistant prostate cancer [3,100]. In addition to the aforementioned active compounds, those with antioxidant [135][136][137], anti-inflammatory [138][139][140], psychoactive [111], antiviral [141], muscle-relaxing [142], neuroprotective [142,143], anti-HIV [144], and insecticidal activities can be distinguished [145,146]. Compounds with nematicidal activity have potential in agricultural industry as natural plant-protection products.…”

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

“…Sin embargo, el trabajo mencionado no aplica un análisis multivariado de los datos, así que no se puede excluir efectos de interacción entre los diferentes parámetros ambientales, tales como luz, hábitat, altitud y latitud [115]. Considerando que otros trabajos han señalado una relación entre el contenido total de flavonoides y factores ambientales como luz, hábitat, altitud y latitud [70], es evidente el potencial de estudios por adelante que podrían ayudar a resolver la importancia de estos factores.…”

“…En la actualidad, alrededor de un 5% del total de la brioflora mundial se ha estudiado químicamente [29]; entre estos estudios, los musgos, aunque más diversos que las hepáticas, han sido relativamente menos explorados en cuanto a sus metabolitos secundarios [39,[70][71][72]. En Colombia, los estudios de actividad biológica en musgos son exiguos.…”