ISSN (Online) : 2277-4572
Author(s): Greeshma GM and Murugan K *
Phytochemicals are novel biomolecules produced by plants and are important as medicinal for curing many ailments. Bryophytes are ideal life forms for morphogenetic, genetic, biochemical, physiological and molecular studies due to their simple structural organization. They have been traditionally used for curing various skin disorders and injuries due to the pool of bioactive compounds. The biological activities of bryophytes are due to lipophilic monosesqui and diterpenoids, aromatic compounds and acetogenins. The phytochemical analysis of Brachythecium buchananii thallus extracts in petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol and water extracts to validate the medicinal important of the species was investigated. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, triterpenoids, and cardiac glycosides in varying levels. The moss contains essential amino acids such as isoleucine, phenylalanine and tyrosine. Terpenoid showed significant level compared to flavonoids and phenols. These molecules exhibit many pharmacological activities like anti-inflammatory, anti-malarial, anticancer, inhibition of cholesterol synthesis, anti-viral and bactericidal activities. Thus, the present study provides evidence that different solvent extracts contains medicinally unique bioactive molecules and this justifies the use of the moss as traditional medicine for treatment of various disorders.
