Phytochemical composition of some common coastal halophytes of the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Halophyte species of United Arab Emirates are a source of unique active phytochemicals, potentially due to the extreme environmental conditions under which the plants grow in the UAE. These phytochemicals make the native halophytes possibly interesting crops for biorefining, where biofuel production is combined with the production of value added chemicals, improving the economic feasibility of both process. Phytochemicals found in these species are widely recognized and researched as potential pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products. We reviewed the literature for secondary metabolites from species from the following halophyte families: Aizoaceae, Amaranthaceae (incl. Chenopodiaceae), Avicenniaceae, Zygophyllaceae. The review revealed that plant species belonging to these families contain valuable phytochemicals, such as fatty acids, terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids, tannins, saponins, quinones and coumarins, many of which have been reported to have therapeutic effects in humans.

Formulation of Ethyl Cellulose Microparticles Incorporated Pheophytin A Isolated from Suaeda vermiculata for Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities

“…Therefore, S. vermiculata is widely spread in Arabian Gulf countries and is considered to be one of the most widespread plants in central Saudi Arabia, especially the Qassim region [1]. S. vermiculata is an edible plant and Bedouins use it as an appetizer for their domestic animals, such as camels and sheep [2]. Like other halophytes, S. vermiculata contains enzymatic and/or non-enzymatic antioxidant mechanisms that enable such plants to survive in a high saline condition.…”

Free-radical-scavenging and antioxidant capacities with special emphasis on enzyme activities andin vitrostudies inCaralluma flavaN. E. Br.

“…They belong to 114 genera and 49 families. Research to unveil the antioxidant potential of the United Arab Emirates plants has been of major interest in recent years [12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. According to Sultan et al [19], there is a severe shortage of plant material in the traditional system of medicine, while the market demand of almost all cases of medicinal plants is ever increasing.…”

A Phytochemical and Biological Review on Plants of The family Aizoaceae

“…Phytochemical screening and analysis of some species of family Aizoaceae showed presence of di-, tri, and tetraterpenes. βamyrin, oleanolic acid, Uvaol were isolated from the leaves' methanolic extract of C. edulis 16 , while ecdysterone, were isolated from aqueous and organic extracts of S. portulacastrum and T. portulacastrum [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Pentandradione and pentandraone were isolated only from the methanolic extract of Z. pentandra [50][51] .…”