Bioactive compounds and health potentials of halophytes

Abstract

Salt tolerance is indeed an agronomically essential trait that has significant implications for
agriculture worldwide. Halophytes are the inimitable set of plants that adapted to thrive in highly
saline environments that stand for 2% of the terrestrial plant variety. They can withstand a NaClrich
environment due to their specialized mechanism for salt tolerance and osmoregulation and
therefore may be regarded as a resource for new crops. They are commonly found in families
such as Chenopodiaceae, Poaceae, Fabaceae, and Asteraceae. Halophytic plants are traditionally
used for food and fuel production in certain regions and also offer several medicinal benefits.
Halophytes represent rich sources of various types of biologically active phytoconstituents such
as terpenes, phenols, alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, essential oil, and fatty oil; and responsible
for the potential of biological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anticancer,
cardioprotective, and neuroprotective. Various aspects of the bioactive compounds and
health potential of halophytes are discussed in the present review.