Terminalia buceras (Syn. Bucida buceras) and Retinal Oxidative Stress: A Critical Review of Published Evidence and Its Relevance to Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration
- 1Department of Biological Chemical Sciences, University of Sonora, Luis Encinas y Rosales, Centro, Hermosillo 83000, Sonora, Mexico
- 2Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sonora, Luis Encinas y Rosales, Centro, Hermosillo 83000, Sonora, Mexico
Abstract
Dry age-related macular degeneration (dAMD) is a multifactorial retinal disorder involving oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, chronic para-inflammation, complement dysregulation, and progressive retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) failure. This critical review evaluates the published evidence concerning Terminalia buceras (L.) C.Wright (syn. Bucida buceras L.; Combretaceae), hereafter referred to as T. buceras, and its relevance to dry age-related macular degeneration. The evidence is organized into five categories: species-specific chemical evidence, species-specific retinal evidence, species-specific non-retinal biological evidence, external isolated-compound evidence, and hypothesis-generating comparisons with related plants or experimental systems. The evidence base remains preliminary. Species-specific retinal data are restricted to in vitro observations, and there are currently no epidemiological studies linking T. buceras use to AMD outcomes, no validated animal studies demonstrating efficacy in dAMD, and no clinical studies. Moreover, phytochemical standardization, ocular exposure, metabolism, and retinal bioavailability remain insufficiently characterized. Accordingly, this review does not propose T. buceras as a preventive or therapeutic intervention and does not claim superiority over better-characterized medicinal plants. Instead, this review critically synthesizes published species-specific chemical and biological findings and evaluates their methodological limitations. The direct retinal evidence supports partial cytoprotection in an ARPE-19 oxidative-injury model, whereas the non-retinal inflammatory findings concern different preparations and experimental systems. Chemical characterization, cellular responses, and contextual mechanistic evidence are, therefore, considered separately. The available findings do not establish a disease-modifying effect on dAMD, clinically achievable retinal exposure, or chronic ocular safety.
Related
- A working model linking oxidative stress, histone H3K18 lactylation and ALKBH3 in age-related macular degeneration
- Silymarin Attenuates Nicotine-Associated Testicular Degeneration and Systemic Oxidative and Inflammatory Changes in Mice
- NICE’s 2026 Consultation Draft Guideline for OCD and BDD (GID-NG10435): A Critical Appraisal with Secondary Analysis of NICE’s Published Data
- Lyophilized Terminalia catappa Leaf Extract: A Natural Algicide, Improves Survival of Poecilia reticulata in Aquaria
- Unveiling Molecular Basis of Terminalia chebula in Modulating the AGE-RAGE-PRKCB Axis in Diabetic Nephropathy: Integrative Network Pharmacology and Computational Study
BibTeX
@article{lewislujan2026terminalia,
title = {{Terminalia buceras (Syn. Bucida buceras) and Retinal Oxidative Stress: A Critical Review of Published Evidence and Its Relevance to Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration}},
author = {Lidianys María Lewis-Luján and Annette Pulcherie Iloki-Lewis and Diego Emmanuel Guerrero-Magaña and Juan Carlos Galvez-Ruiz and Cinthia Jhovanna Perez-Martinez and Judas Tadeo Vargas-Durazo and Sergio Trujillo-López and Simon Bernard Iloki-Assanga},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27209267},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/9267},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Terminalia buceras (Syn. Bucida buceras) and Retinal Oxidative Stress: A Critical Review of Published Evidence and Its Relevance to Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration
AU - Lidianys María Lewis-Luján
AU - Annette Pulcherie Iloki-Lewis
AU - Diego Emmanuel Guerrero-Magaña
AU - Juan Carlos Galvez-Ruiz
AU - Cinthia Jhovanna Perez-Martinez
AU - Judas Tadeo Vargas-Durazo
AU - Sergio Trujillo-López
AU - Simon Bernard Iloki-Assanga
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27209267
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/9267
AB - Dry age-related macular degeneration (dAMD) is a multifactorial retinal disorder involving oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, chronic para-inflammation, complement dysregulation, and progressive retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) failure. This critical review evaluates the published evidence concerning Terminalia buceras (L.) C.Wright (syn. Bucida buceras L.; Combretaceae), hereafter referred to as T. buceras, and its relevance to dry age-related macular degeneration. The evidence is organized into five categories: species-specific chemical evidence, species-specific retinal evidence, species-specific non-retinal biological evidence, external isolated-compound evidence, and hypothesis-generating comparisons with related plants or experimental systems. The evidence base remains preliminary. Species-specific retinal data are restricted to in vitro observations, and there are currently no epidemiological studies linking T. buceras use to AMD outcomes, no validated animal studies demonstrating efficacy in dAMD, and no clinical studies. Moreover, phytochemical standardization, ocular exposure, metabolism, and retinal bioavailability remain insufficiently characterized. Accordingly, this review does not propose T. buceras as a preventive or therapeutic intervention and does not claim superiority over better-characterized medicinal plants. Instead, this review critically synthesizes published species-specific chemical and biological findings and evaluates their methodological limitations. The direct retinal evidence supports partial cytoprotection in an ARPE-19 oxidative-injury model, whereas the non-retinal inflammatory findings concern different preparations and experimental systems. Chemical characterization, cellular responses, and contextual mechanistic evidence are, therefore, considered separately. The available findings do not establish a disease-modifying effect on dAMD, clinically achievable retinal exposure, or chronic ocular safety.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -