Antioxidant and antimicrobial effects of the mangrove tree Heritiera fomes
Helle Wangensteen1, Huong Cam Thi Dang, Shaikh Jamal Uddin
1Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry--Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1068 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway. helle.wangensteen@farmasi.uio.no
Abstract:
Heritiera fomes is a mangrove tree which is widely distributed in the Sundarbans mangrove forest, Bangladesh. In this study, the EtOH extract of stem bark from H. fomes was shown to be rich in procyanidins. Trimeric, pentameric and hexameric procyanidins were identified in addition to highly polymeric material (average degree of polymerization 18-24). Bioactivity studies showed high DPPH radical scavenging and 15-lipoxygenase (15-LO) inhibiting activities of the bark extracts (EC50 = 19.4 +/- 1.7 and IC50 = 22 +/- 1 microg/mL, respectively) which could be ascribed to its high content of procyanidins. The procyanidins were also assayed as DPPH scavengers and 15-LO inhibitors, with EC50 and IC50 values in the range of 8-15 and 10-15 microg/mL, respectively. The bark extracts showed antibacterial activities against K. rhizophilia, S. aureus, B. subtilis and P. aeruginosa, as well. No toxicity was observed in the brine shrimp assay.
Related Concept Videos
Antifungal Agents
Surface Membrane Barriers
The outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, is a robust barrier comprising layers of closely packed keratinized cells. This dense arrangement prevents microbes from penetrating the body. The periodic shedding of epidermal cells...
Radical Autoxidation
Microbe-Plant Interactions
Introduction to Plant Diversity
Defenses Against Pathogens and Herbivores

