salazinic-acid and norstictic-acid

Parmelia that belongs to the Parmeliaceae Family is a foliose lichen combined with one or two groups of fungi in Phylum Ascomycota or Basidiomycota and algae, which might be green algae or blue-green algae (cyanobacteria). It is generally called "Stone Flower," "Charila," "Pattharphool," or "Shilaaapushpa" in India. Lichen can be generally found growing on walls, old trees and spread largely across India, especially in the mountain area. It is a source of edible organisms for people residing in some regions of Nepal and it is also cultivated in hillsides of Kashmir. It has been found that lichen contains a lot of distinctive chemical compounds such as evernic acid, lecanoric acid, lobaric acid, norstictic acid, physodic acid, and salazinic acid. Some species of this lichen are recommended traditionally for controlling diseases such as boils, bronchitis, inflammations, excessive salivation, toothache, vomiting, etc. It has also applied as an indicator for biomonitoring, astringent, carminative, demulcent, bitter, resolvent, emollient, laxative, sporofic, sedative, diuretic and considered for treating sores, bronchitis, excessive salivation, vomiting, tooth-ache, boils and inflammations. It has been utilized for preparing traditional food and acts as a bioindicator for air pollution and radiation. It shows antibacterial, antioxidant, antimycobacterial and antifungal activities, including haemolytic, anaesthetic, spasmolytic and antispasmodic and antitumour activities. It also has several unique phytoconstituents that could be in charge of different therapeutic activities, but the majority of them are still unexplored. The review mainly focuses on various facets, such as common names, synonyms, traditional uses, botanical descriptions, and pharmacological activities of seven species of Parmelia.

Topics: Depsides; Humans; Hydroxybenzoates; Lactones; Medicine, Traditional; Parmeliaceae; Salicylates

Cancer is the second leading cause of human deaths in the USA. Despite continuous efforts to treat cancer over the past 50 years, human mortality rates have not decreased significantly. Natural products, such as lichens, have been good sources of anticancer drugs. This study reports the cytotoxic activity of crude extracts of 17 lichen species against Burkitt's lymphoma (Raji) cells. Out of the 17 lichen species, extracts from 14 species showed cytotoxicity against Raji cells. On the basis of IC50 values, we selected Xanthoparmelia chlorochroa and Tuckermannopsis ciliaris to study the mechanism of cell death. Viability of normal lymphocytes was not affected by the extracts of X. chlorochroa and T. ciliaris. We found that extracts from both lichens decreased proliferation, accumulated cells at the G0 /G1 stage, and caused apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Both lichen extracts also caused upregulation of p53. The T. ciliaris extract upregulated the expression of TK1 but X. chlorochroa did not. We also found that usnic, salazinic, constictic, and norstictic acids were present in the extract of X. chlorochroa, whereas protolichesterinic acid in T. ciliaris extracts. Our data demonstrate that lichen extracts merit further research as a potential source of anticancer drugs.

Topics: 4-Butyrolactone; Antineoplastic Agents; Apoptosis; Benzofurans; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Survival; Humans; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Lactones; Lichens; Lymphocytes; Molecular Structure; Salicylates; Thymidine Kinase; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; United States