SONNERATIA CASEOLORIS: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW ON RECENT ADVANCES IN THE BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF MANGROVE FRUITS

Mangrove plants are widely distributed in the coastal area of India. This plant is a unique halophytic species that thrives in intertidal ecosystems. Mangrove had enriched bioactive compounds particularly fruits have gained increasing scientific attention due to their nutritional value and pharmacological potential. The fruits contain a wide range of secondary metabolites, exhibit broad-spectrum antifungal activity against pathogenic fungi such as Candida albicans, Aspergillus species, and other clinically relevant fungal strains. The antifungal mechanisms are attributed to membrane disruption, inhibition of fungal enzyme systems, and oxidative stress induction in fungal cells. Additionally including flavonoids, phenolic compounds, tannins, alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, glycosides, and steroids, which contribute to their various therapeutic properties. This review summarize the current knowledge about mangrove fruits and highlight their significant biological activities, with special emphasis on antifungal and anthelmintic effects. Several studies have demonstrated that extracts and isolated compounds from mangrove fruits, mangrove fruit extracts have shown promising anthelmintic activity against different helminth models, potentially through interference with parasite neuromuscular activity, energy metabolism, and structural integrity. The presence of tannins, flavonoids, and saponins is considered to play a key role in these effects. Beyond these activities, mangrove fruits also possess antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic properties, indicating their broad therapeutic potential. In conclusion, mangrove fruits represent a promising source of bioactive compounds with significant antifungal and anthelmintic activities. However, further studies focusing on isolation and structural characterization of active constituents, elucidation of mechanisms of action, toxicity evaluation, and clinical validation. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the phytochemical profile and pharmacological potential of mangrove fruits, emphasizing their therapeutic importance in the society.