Bryophytes: A Myriad Hue of Bio-resources with Therapeutic Potentialities

Abstract

Bryophytes are one of the largest plant groups distributed all over the world comprising approximately about 25,000 species. They are considered as transitional between aquatic algae to land plants and have been recorded in the fossil dating from Palaeozoic era. The usage of bryophytes in herbal ethnic medicines has been from ancient periods in India, China, and Native Americans. The secondary metabolite profile depends on species, its habitat, geography and season. Metabolites like conjugated carbohydrates, proteins, sugar alcohols, aliphatic and aromatic compounds, lipids, terpenoids and polyphenolic were documented from these small imaged plants. Commonly, the species were used to treat liver disorders; yellow fever, acute/chronic inflammation and in wound healing. The present report summarizes the in vitro culture, elucidation of flavonoids/terpenoids, its fractionation and the biological potentialities including cytotoxic potential in MTT assay, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis HOECHST 33342 staining assay, Caspase 3, 7, 6, 8, 9 and 2 activities and western blot analysis of the species such as Marchantia linearis, M. poymorpha, Brachythecium buchananii and Thuidium tamariscellum. Similarly, in vivo insecticidal analysis of flavonoids from Marchantia linearis and M. poymorpha revealed optimal antifeedant, larvicidal and pupicidal activities at all the concentrations against fifth instar larvae of Spodoptera litura. In addition, in vivo extraction of flavonoids from Plagiochila beddomei, Leucobryum bowringii and Octoblepharum albidum, fractionation by HPLC, FTIR and its therapeutic potentialities like antioxidant, antmicrobial, wound healing and antimetastatic efficacies against selected onco cell lines were analysed. The outputs provide scientific validation of local/ethnic knowledge of the people and will pay way in future for remarkable avenues for drug formulations to boost human health care system.