A Review on: Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Potential of Bombax Ceiba Flowers: Implications for Parkinson’s Disease Research

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, leading to motor and non-motor impairments. Oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neuronal apoptosis play a central role in the pathogenesis of PD. Although current pharmacological treatments provide symptomatic relief, they do not prevent neuronal degeneration, highlighting the need for safer and more effective neuroprotective agents. Medicinal plants rich in bioactive phytochemicals have gained attention as potential therapeutic alternatives. Bombax ceiba, an important plant in traditional medicine, is known for its diverse pharmacological properties, and its flowers are particularly rich in flavonoids, phenolics, tannins, and saponins. These constituents exhibit strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, which are essential in combating neurodegenerative processes. While direct evidence supporting the anti-Parkinson activity of Bombax ceiba flowers is currently lacking, their phytochemical profile and reported pharmacological actions strongly suggest a promising neuroprotective potential. This review summarizes the botanical characteristics, traditional uses, phytochemical composition, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of Bombax ceiba flowers and discusses their possible implications in Parkinson’s disease research. It also highlights existing research gaps and emphasizes the need for systematic experimental studies to validate their role as a novel plant-based neuroprotective agent in PD.

Introduction

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder marked by dopaminergic neuron loss in the substantia nigra, causing tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability. Pathological mechanisms include oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neuronal apoptosis. Conventional drugs like levodopa alleviate symptoms but do not halt neurodegeneration, prompting interest in traditional herbal medicines with neuroprotective potential.

Bombax ceiba (Red Silk Cotton Tree) is a tall tree of the Malvaceae family, widely distributed in India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia. Its flowers are large, bright red, rich in nectar, and traditionally used in powdered or extract form. Phytochemical studies reveal it contains flavonoids, phenolics, saponins, polyphenols, and other bioactive compounds, which contribute to its pharmacological properties.

Pharmacological Activities of B. ceiba:

• Analgesic: Mangiferin exhibits antioxidant and pain-relieving effects independent of opioid receptors.

• Anthelmintic: Effective against trematodes in animal studies.

• Antimicrobial: Methanolic extracts inhibit multidrug-resistant bacteria like Salmonella typhi and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

• Hepatoprotective: Reduces liver necrosis, oxidative stress markers, and improves glutathione levels.

• Anti-obesity: Reduces weight gain, serum glucose, lipid levels, and oxidative stress in high-fat diet rats.

• Diuretic: Increases urine output and electrolyte excretion.

• Angiogenesis Inhibition: Lupeol prevents endothelial tube formation.

• Aphrodisiac: Improves sexual behavior metrics in male mice.

• Anti-cancer: Shows antioxidant and anti-proliferative effects against multiple human cancer cell lines.

Relevance to Parkinson’s Disease:
PD pathology involves dopamine depletion, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Given that B. ceiba flowers are rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, they are promising candidates for neuroprotection, potentially reducing oxidative damage, protecting neurons, and slowing PD progression.

In essence, B. ceiba represents a scientifically validated traditional medicine with multiple pharmacological effects, making it a strong candidate for further exploration in Parkinson’s disease management.

If you want, I can also make an ultra-condensed version in 3–4 sentences highlighting only PD relevance and B. ceiba’s potential.

Conclusion

Bombax ceiba flowers are a rich source of antioxidant andanti-inflammatory composites. Although there\'s no direct substantiation of theiranti-Parkinson exertion, their pharmacological profile explosively supports a implicit neuroprotective part. The absence of PD-specific studies on flower excerpts highlights a major exploration occasion. Methodical disquisition of Bombax ceiba flowers in experimental Parkinson’s complaint models could lead to the identification of a novel, factory- grounded neuroprotective agent. The numerous uses of Bombax ceiba include purifying the blood, adding the thickness of semen, acting as a procreator of semen, acting as a uterine alcohol, treating injuries, acne, saturation, snap, coughs, and haemorrhoids, among numerous others. Many scientific confirmation studies have been conducted on the factory, despite its expansive use for colorful affections. Among the numerous bioactivities of the factory, its antioxidant andanti-inflammatory parcels stand out. The shops are largely salutary for health and illness treatment because to their significant pharmacological conditioning, which include anticancer, antidiabetic, antiviral, antipyretic, diuretic, aphrodisiac, hepatoprotective, antimicrobial, and antibacterial parcels. The pharmacological goods of phytochemicals like lupeol, ?- siterol, and mangiferin vary when tested in a laboratory setting. Differences in bioactivities seen in shops gathered from colorful regions demonstrate the profound impact of original climate on factory phytochemical factors. To ameliorate their utilisation, pharmacologically active chemicals from colorful corridor of this factory still need to be linked and insulated. fresh disquisition and understanding of the bioactivities shown are largely encouraged.

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Copyright © 2026 Pratiksha Ramdas Damse, Shubham Hanumant Dhavale, Smita Ashok Donagaon, Smita Sandip Jathar, Nisha Chandrakant Kalekar. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.