Mangrove roots with molecular structures, symbolizing health benefits.

Unlock Your Body's Potential: The Power of Mangrove Compounds

Rhea Morgan in Health & Wellness November 2025 • 3 min read.

"Discover the hidden health benefits of mangrove extracts and how they could revolutionize treatments for liver health and more."

Cholestasis, a condition caused by the accumulation of bile acids, leads to severe liver diseases. Scientists are exploring ways to tackle this through FXR and PXR, key proteins which regulate bile acid metabolism. These proteins are now therapeutic targets for cholestasis and liver injury.

Mangrove plants have been used in folk medicine in South and Southeast Asia for their healing properties. Recent studies dive into the exciting potential of compounds found in mangroves. These studies are focusing on how extracts from these plants interact with and activate key receptors in the body.

This research highlights ten new triterpenoid compounds that have been extracted from mangrove plants, such as Xylocarpus granatum, Xylocarpus moluccensis, and Excoecaria agallocha. These compounds show structure diversity and also exhibit agonistic (activating) effects on human farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and pregnane X receptor (PXR).

Mangrove Compounds: A Deep Dive

Mangrove roots with molecular structures, symbolizing health benefits.

The study successfully isolated ten new triterpenoid compounds, each displaying unique structural attributes. Nine of these compounds were classified as tirucallanes, named xylocarpols A through E (1–5) and agallochols A through D (6–9). The tenth compound was identified as an apotirucallane, named 25-dehydroxy protoxylogranatin B (10).

The structures of these compounds were meticulously determined using a combination of advanced spectroscopic techniques, including HR-ESIMS, one-dimensional (1D) NMR, and two-dimensional (2D) NMR. The absolute configurations of xylocarpol A (1) and xylocarpol B (2) were definitively established through single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses, employing Cu Ka radiation. For compounds 4, and agallochols A-C (6-8), absolute configurations were assigned using a modified Mosher's method and by comparing experimental electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra.

Several compounds showed promise:

Compounds 5, 6, 7, and 9 showed significant activation of FXR.
Compound 10 exhibited significant agonistic effects on PXR.
These effects suggest therapeutic potential.

The discovery of these triterpenoid compounds opens new doors for pharmacological research. The unique structures and biological activities of these compounds present opportunities for developing novel therapeutic agents. Further research can explore the potential of these compounds to treat liver diseases, metabolic disorders, and other health conditions.

Future Directions

Mangrove-derived compounds hold immense promise for health. Further research could lead to the discovery of new treatments for liver conditions, metabolic disorders, and more. These findings encourage deeper exploration into natural remedies for modern health challenges.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.3390/md16120488, Alternate LINK

Title: Mangrove Tirucallane- And Apotirucallane-Type Triterpenoids: Structure Diversity Of The C-17 Side-Chain And Natural Agonists Of Human Farnesoid/Pregnane–X–Receptor

Subject: Drug Discovery

Journal: Marine Drugs

Publisher: MDPI AG

Authors: Zhong-Ping Jiang, Zhi-Lin Luan, Ruo-Xi Liu, Qun Zhang, Xiao-Chi Ma, Li Shen, Jun Wu

Published: 2018-12-06

Everything You Need To Know

How might mangrove extracts address liver diseases?

Mangrove extracts are being investigated for their potential to activate key receptors like FXR and PXR in the body. These receptors play a crucial role in regulating bile acid metabolism. When activated, they could help manage conditions like cholestasis, a condition resulting from the accumulation of bile acids, which can lead to severe liver diseases. Future research is focusing on how these extracts can provide new treatments for liver conditions, metabolic disorders, and more.

What specific compounds were isolated from mangrove plants, and how were they identified?

Scientists isolated ten new triterpenoid compounds from mangrove plants. Nine of them are classified as tirucallanes, named xylocarpols A through E (1–5) and agallochols A through D (6–9). The tenth compound is an apotirucallane, named 25-dehydroxy protoxylogranatin B (10). Each of these compounds have unique structural attributes. The structures were determined using advanced spectroscopic techniques, including HR-ESIMS, one-dimensional (1D) NMR, and two-dimensional (2D) NMR.

What are FXR and PXR, and why are they relevant in the context of mangrove compounds?

The farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and the pregnane X receptor (PXR) are proteins that regulate bile acid metabolism. They are now therapeutic targets for cholestasis and liver injury. Certain mangrove-derived triterpenoid compounds, like compounds 5, 6, 7, and 9, have shown significant activation of FXR, while compound 10 exhibits significant agonistic effects on PXR. By targeting these receptors, novel treatments for liver and metabolic disorders could be developed.

Which specific mangrove compounds showed significant activation of FXR and PXR, and what are the implications?

Compounds 5, 6, 7, and 9 have demonstrated significant activation of the farnesoid X receptor (FXR), while compound 10 has shown significant agonistic effects on the pregnane X receptor (PXR). This is important because FXR and PXR are key proteins that regulate bile acid metabolism. Activating these receptors could help manage conditions like cholestasis and other liver injuries. The unique structures and biological activities of these compounds present opportunities for developing novel therapeutic agents.

What are the potential future directions for research involving mangrove-derived compounds, and why is this research important?

Further research into mangrove-derived compounds could lead to the discovery of new treatments for liver conditions and metabolic disorders. The recent findings of triterpenoid compounds encourage deeper exploration into natural remedies for modern health challenges. For example, future studies could explore the specific mechanisms by which these compounds interact with FXR and PXR, optimize their therapeutic efficacy, and assess their safety profiles.