Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Antiproliferative Activities of Five Lichen Species

Abstract

The antioxidative, antimicrobial and antiproliferative potentials of the methanol extracts of the lichen species Parmelia sulcata, Flavoparmelia caperata, Evernia prunastri, Hypogymnia physodes and Cladonia foliacea were evaluated. The total phenolic content of the tested extracts varied from 78.12 to 141.59 mg of gallic acid equivalent (GA)/g of extract and the total flavonoid content from 20.14 to 44.43 mg of rutin equivalent (Ru)/g of extract. The antioxidant capacities of the lichen extracts were determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals scavenging. Hypogymnia physodes with the highest phenolic content showed the strongest DPPH radical scavenging effect. Further, the antimicrobial potential of the lichen extracts was determined by a microdilution method on 29 microorganisms, including 15 strains of bacteria, 10 species of filamentous fungi and 4 yeast species. A high antimicrobial activity of all the tested extracts was observed with more potent inhibitory effects on the growth of Gram (+) bacteria. The highest antimicrobial activity among lichens was demonstrated by Hypogymnia physodes and Cladonia foliacea. Finally, the antiproliferative activity of the lichen extracts was explored on the colon cancer adenocarcinoma cell line HCT-116 by MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) viability assay and acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining. The methanol extracts of Hypogymnia physodes and Cladonia foliacea showed a better cytotoxic activity than the other extracts. All lichen species showed the ability to induce apoptosis of HCT-116 cells.

Beetles “in red”: are the endangered flat bark beetles Cucujus cinnaberinus and C. haematodes chemically protected? (Coleoptera: Cucujidae)

“…Atraric acid has been extracted from a bark sample contaminated by Parmelia olivetorum and P. perlata (Bourgeois et al 1999). Other authors have reported on the antimicrobial role of atraric acid in lichen species (Mitrovićet al 2011). The role that some of the hydrocarbons detected could play against microorganisms should not be left out.…”

Direct discrimination of Parmotrema tinctorum from various location by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

“…They are important in most of the ecosystem from the tropics to the polar region and include around 17,000 species [2]. The specific, even extreme, conditions of their existence, slow growth and long duration of life spans are consistent with their abundance in protective metabolite against different physical and biological influences [3][4]. The relationship between human and lichen existed since long ago.…”

Promising anticancer activity of a lichen, Parmelia sulcata Taylor, against breast cancer cell lines and genotoxic effect on human lymphocytes

“…Approximately 1,050 lichen substances have been identified in the literature, and lichen secondary metabolites have diverse biological activities, including antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antitumor, antiherbivore, antiprotozoal, antimutagenic, antioxidant, antiinflammatory, allelochemical, analgesic, antipyretic, antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects (Müller 2001;Oksanen 2006;Molnar and Farkas 2010;Mitrović et al 2011).…”