Abstract
Mangrove plants serve as a sink of heavy metals and contain phenolic compounds at a high level. Therefore, with mangrove plants, recent studies to develop phytoremediation and natural antioxidants have been conducted in the commercial and academic fields. In the present study, six mangroves in Weno Island of Micronesia were investigated for their phylogenetic relationship and antioxidant activities. First, to determine the phylogenetic relationship among them, rbcL (large subunit of ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase), one of the chloroplast genes, was used as a molecular marker. According to the data, Xylocarpus, Sonneratia and Rhizophora showed close similarity but not Excoecaria. The levels of phenolic compounds in the bark were abundant in R. apiculata and X. granatum, accounting for 1.10 mM/mg, while R. stylosa and S. alba contained the low amounts, representing 0.73 mM/mg and 0.72 mM/mg, respectively (p<0.05). In addition, bark extracts from R. apiculata, X. granatum, X. moluccensis, and E. agallocha had high antioxidant activities through the DPPH radical scavenging activity and ABTS analysis, whereas S. alba showed the lowest activities. These results suggest that the bark of R. apiculata can be used as a good source for the development of natural antioxidants.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
