Antioxidant Activities of Terpenoids from Thuidium tamariscellum (C. Muell.) Bosch. and Sande-Lac. a Moss

Abstract

Bryophytes are the second largest group of plants after the flowering plants. About 20,000 members were documented from all over the world. Out of which 3000 bryophytes were reported to possess medicinal properties. They are primitive non-vascular plants and include liverworts, hornworts and mosses as three distinct groups. These plants were traditionally used in Chinese, European and Indian medicine to treat various illness including skin diseases and bronchitis. Numerous biologically active compounds were reported from these plants such as phenolic compounds, alkaloids, flavonoids and terpenoids. Plagiochila beddomei is a liverwort reported to possess the phenolic acids like coumaric acid, Ferulic acid, gallic acid, caffeic acid, cinnamic acid, sinapic acid and hydroxyl benzoic acid. 1 There is no authentic historical record, describing the application of liverworts and mosses in Ayurveda, the Indian system of medicine. Interestingly, mosses such as Barbula, Fissidenc, Minium, Thuidium and species of liverworts like Asterella, Dumortiera, Marchantia, Pellia, Plagiochasma and Stephenrencella-Anthoceros were revealed the occurrence of minerals and metals in their thallus like copper, silver, zinc, iron, lead etc. 2 Chinese ethnic usage revealed 40 kinds of bryophytes employed in cardiovascular diseases, tonsillitis, bronchitis, cystitis, and skin infections. Similarly, Fissidens and Polytrichum were utilized as diuretic and hair growth stimulating drugs long back of 400 years