Parmeliaceae family: phytochemistry, pharmacological potential and phylogenetic features

Abstract

Parmeliaceae is the largest family of lichenized fungi comprising about 2700 species distributed in about 80 genera. A wide array of secondary metabolites including depsides, depsidones, aliphatic acids, triterpenes, anthraquinones, secalonic acids, pulvinic acid derivatives and xanthones have been identified within this family. Many of these bioactive compounds such as usnic acid and atranorin are exclusively found in this family, being of great relevance for the systematics and phylogeny. Moreover, these compounds exert different biological roles including antimicrobial, antioxidant, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and enzyme inhibitory actions. The current review focuses on the phytochemistry and main phylogenetic aspects of Parmeliaceae, and it discusses the pharmacological findings and mechanisms of action of their extracts and isolated compounds. The present work actually collects information related to more than 65 lichen species (from 21 different genuses and heterogeneous distribution) and 75 isolated metabolites. As reported, the best studied genus from a pharmacological point of view is Parmelia, followed by Usnea. At the species level, Cetraria islandica and Evernia prunastri attract remarkable interest in their bioactive activities and metabolite content. The major pharmacological activities investigated on extracts and compounds from Parmeliaceae spp. have been antimicrobial, anticancer and antioxidant potentials; and regarding isolated compounds, the aforementioned usnic acid and atranorin are among the most studied metabolites. Reviewed data suggest that some of these lichens and natural compounds are worthy of further investigation.

A DNA barcoding approach for identification of hidden diversity in Parmeliaceae (Ascomycota):Parmelia sensu strictoas a case study

“…In addition, secondary metabolites found in Parmelia spp. have been shown to have high antimicrobial, antioxidant, cytotoxic and anti‐tumour activities (reviewed in Gómez‐Serranillos et al ., ). Molecular identification of Parmelia spp.…”

Evaluation of the Antioxidant Capacities and Cytotoxic Effects of Ten Parmeliaceae Lichen Species

“…The selection of these species was based on a geographic distribution pattern, with samples from 4 different continents (Oceania, Asia, Europe, including the Canary Islands, and America), on the presence of diverse extrolites contained in these species and focused on the phytochemistry, pharmacological potential, and phylogenetic features of Parmeliaceae (see [7]).…”

“…As examples of therapeutic uses, Usnea barbata was used to treat hair-related diseases, Parmelia sulcata for cranial maladies, and Parmelia saxatilis for the treatment of epilepsy [6]. However, in comparison to other natural products, biological activities of lichens are poorly known and its thorough research is mainly being developed in the last two decades; Parmeliaceae arises as the family with the highest pharmacological potential [7]. In general, the pharmacological interest of lichens relies on the capacity of the mycobiont to produce secondary metabolites, which differ from those found in nonlichenized fungi.…”

Access to Phylogeny from Voltammetric Fingerprints of Seeds: the Asparagus Case

“…In several cases, chimeric nucleotide sequences are obtained so that discrepancies between molecular and morphological/functional classifications appear . Accordingly, metabolomic and chemotaxonomic complementary approaches, which are of interest for acquiring information on nutritional, pharmacological and chemoecological properties of plants, possess also phylogenetic value .…”