Main Article Content

Published:
Mar 31, 2021
Keywords:
bioactive compounds
conservation
metabolomics
Caribbean

Abstract

The Juniperus genus has long been used and studied for the chemical components of its aerial parts (leaves, bark, twigs) and their bioactivity. Nevertheless, these studies and their compilation have been primarily focused on Europe and North America distributed taxa, leaving the knowledge and economic potential of the endangered Caribbean taxa highly underrepresented in literature. Although, these conifers have been barely investigated for their bioactive compounds, bibliography does indicate the presence of potent antitumoral, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial molecules such as deoxypodophyllotoxin, podophyllotoxin, amentoflavone and widdrol. Additional phytochemical potential can also be inferred from the systematical essential oil studies of the taxa, the only source of chemical composition information on most of them. These investigations can aid in the narrowing down of the possible bioactivities their lipidic extracts may possess, while also providing clues for the bioassays necessary to confirm them. This review aims to compile the known information on the usage, bioactivity and chemical composition of the Hispaniolian J. gracilior varieties and their phylogenetically proximal taxa (J. gracilior var. saxicolaJ. barbadensis and J. bermudiana), to propitiate more holistic and in depth chemical studies on these potential phytochemical sources, in turn providing an economical incentive for their conservation.

Carolina Juncá Morales
Luis Enrique Rodríguez de Francisco
Cristina López Hidalgo
Rafael M. Navarro Cerrillo
Omar Paíno Perdomo
Jesús Valentín Jorrín Novo
Author Biographies

Carolina Juncá Morales, Instituto Tecnólogico de Santo Domingo, Basic and Environmental Sciences Area, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Instituto Tecnólogico de Santo Domingo, Basic and Environmental Sciences Area, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, tel.: 809-567-9271 ext.: 608, 1074736@est.intec.edu.do, luis.defrancisco@intec.edu.do, omar.perdomo@intec.edu.do

Luis Enrique Rodríguez de Francisco, Instituto Tecnólogico de Santo Domingo, Basic and Environmental Sciences Area, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Instituto Tecnólogico de Santo Domingo, Basic and Environmental Sciences Area, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, tel.: 809-567-9271 ext.: 608, 1074736@est.intec.edu.do, luis.defrancisco@intec.edu.do, omar.perdomo@intec.edu.do

Cristina López Hidalgo, Universidad de Oviedo, Faculty of Biology, Department of Organisms and Systems Biology, Oviedo, Spain.

Universidad de Oviedo, Faculty of Biology, Department of Organisms and Systems Biology, Oviedo, Spain, lopezhcristina@uniovi.es

Rafael M. Navarro Cerrillo, Universidad de Córdoba, Department of Forestry Engineering, Córdoba, Spain.

Universidad de Córdoba, Department of Forestry Engineering, Córdoba, Spain, rmnavarro@uco.es

Omar Paíno Perdomo, Instituto Tecnólogico de Santo Domingo, Basic and Environmental Sciences Area, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Instituto Tecnólogico de Santo Domingo, Basic and Environmental Sciences Area, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, tel.: 809-567-9271 ext.: 608, 1074736@est.intec.edu.do, luis.defrancisco@intec.edu.do, omar.perdomo@intec.edu.do

Jesús Valentín Jorrín Novo, Universidad de Córdoba, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Córdoba, Spain.

Universidad de Córdoba, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Córdoba, Spain, bf1jonoj@uco.es

How to Cite
Juncá Morales, C., Rodríguez de Francisco, L. E., López Hidalgo, C., Navarro Cerrillo, R. M., Paíno Perdomo, O., & Jorrín Novo, J. V. (2021). Endemic Juniperus gracilior varieties of the Hispaniola island, tree taxa of environmental and economic relevance and a valuable phytochemical source. Revista Bosque, 42(1), 7–22. Retrieved from https://revistabosque.org/index.php/bosque/article/view/241

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