Ethnomedicinal Uses, Phytochemistry and Bioactivities of Halophytes and Salt-Tolerant Plants with Potential Against Metabolic Syndrome: A Comprehensive Review
Abstract
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex cluster of interconnected metabolic abnormalities, including central obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, chronic inflammation, and impaired glucose metabolism, which collectively increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Although current therapeutic strategies, including lifestyle interventions and pharmacological treatments, can be effective in managing specific MetS components, the multifactorial nature of this condition continues to encourage the search for complementary approaches and novel bioactive compounds. Salt-tolerant plants (STPs), particularly halophytes, survive under adverse saline and oxidative stress conditions through specialized physiological and biochemical adaptations, including the production of diverse secondary metabolites such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, sterols, terpenoids and polysaccharides. Several of these compounds have been associated with health-promoting properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, lipid-modulating and cardioprotective effects. This review provides an integrated and critical overview of the ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry and bioactivities of STPs with potential relevance to MetS and its associated conditions, namely chronic inflammation, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disorders, dyslipidemia and obesity. The review first introduces the main features of MetS and the relevance of STPs as bioresources, followed by a synthesis of ethnomedicinal uses related to MetS-associated disorders. It then discusses in vitro and in vivo evidence for selected species, extracts and compounds, including reported bioactive metabolites and proposed mechanisms of action when available. Finally, the most promising species, extracts and metabolites are highlighted, together with current limitations and future research needs regarding efficacy, safety, bioavailability, standardization and clinical relevance.
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BibTeX
@article{rodrigues2026ethnomedicinal,
title = {{Ethnomedicinal Uses, Phytochemistry and Bioactivities of Halophytes and Salt-Tolerant Plants with Potential Against Metabolic Syndrome: A Comprehensive Review}},
author = {Maria João Rodrigues and Pedro García-Caparrós and Catarina Guerreiro Pereira and Christian Magné and Karim Ben Hamed and Mariana Laundry De Mesquita and Luísa Custódio},
journal = {Marine drugs},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.3390/md24080262},
url = {https://univ-brest.hal.science/hal-05751548v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Ethnomedicinal Uses, Phytochemistry and Bioactivities of Halophytes and Salt-Tolerant Plants with Potential Against Metabolic Syndrome: A Comprehensive Review
AU - Maria João Rodrigues
AU - Pedro García-Caparrós
AU - Catarina Guerreiro Pereira
AU - Christian Magné
AU - Karim Ben Hamed
AU - Mariana Laundry De Mesquita
AU - Luísa Custódio
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/29
JO - Marine drugs
DO - 10.3390/md24080262
UR - https://univ-brest.hal.science/hal-05751548v1
AB - Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex cluster of interconnected metabolic abnormalities, including central obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, chronic inflammation, and impaired glucose metabolism, which collectively increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Although current therapeutic strategies, including lifestyle interventions and pharmacological treatments, can be effective in managing specific MetS components, the multifactorial nature of this condition continues to encourage the search for complementary approaches and novel bioactive compounds. Salt-tolerant plants (STPs), particularly halophytes, survive under adverse saline and oxidative stress conditions through specialized physiological and biochemical adaptations, including the production of diverse secondary metabolites such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, sterols, terpenoids and polysaccharides. Several of these compounds have been associated with health-promoting properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, lipid-modulating and cardioprotective effects. This review provides an integrated and critical overview of the ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry and bioactivities of STPs with potential relevance to MetS and its associated conditions, namely chronic inflammation, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disorders, dyslipidemia and obesity. The review first introduces the main features of MetS and the relevance of STPs as bioresources, followed by a synthesis of ethnomedicinal uses related to MetS-associated disorders. It then discusses in vitro and in vivo evidence for selected species, extracts and compounds, including reported bioactive metabolites and proposed mechanisms of action when available. Finally, the most promising species, extracts and metabolites are highlighted, together with current limitations and future research needs regarding efficacy, safety, bioavailability, standardization and clinical relevance.
SN - 1660-3397
SN - 1660-3397
ER -