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ANALES?DE?LA?REAL?ACADEMIA?NACIONAL?DE?FARMACIA? Article
ISSN (Online) 1697-4298 analesranf.com
Antioxidant and cytoprotective potentials of Parmeliaceae lichens and
identification of active compounds
Title in Spanish: Potencial antioxidante y citoprotector de líquenes parmeliáceos e identificación de
compuestos activos
Carlos Fernández-Moriano1, Pradeep Kumar Divakar2, Ana Crespo2 and M. Pilar Gómez-Serranillos1*
1Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University Complutense of Madrid, Plaza Ramón y Cajal s/n, 28040,
Madrid, Spain.2Department of Plant Biology II, Faculty of Pharmacy, University Complutense of Madrid, Plaza Ramón y
Cajal s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
A BSTRACT: Lichens, symbiotic organisms with RES UMEN: Los líquenes son organismos simbióticos
special features, are able to synthesize exclusive de especiales características capaces de sintetizar
secondary metabolites that are attracting increasing metabolitos secundarios únicos, con un creciente interés
interest in their pharmacological activities. Present study por sus propiedades farmacológicas. El presente estudio
aimed to perform an initial screening of the antioxidant persiguió realizar un cribado de la actividad antioxidante
capacities of 29 lichens from Parmeliaceae family, and de 29 especies liquénicas de la familia Parmeliaceae, y
the cytoprotective potential of the most promising el potencial citoprotector de los más interesantes en un
species in a model of central nervous system-like cells. modelo neuronal. Otro objetivo consistió en derminar
Also, another goal was to determine the main chemical los principales constituyentes de dichas especies. Tras la
constituents of the promising lichens. After molecular identificación molecular de todos los especímenes por
identification of all lichen specimens by PCR techniques técnicas de PCR, la actividad antioxidante se evaluó por
regarding the molecular marker ITS rDNA, antioxidant la capacidad captadora de radicales libres en el ensayo
activity was measured in terms of free radical ORAC. Se analizaron por TLC y HPLC los extractos
scavenging properties through ORAC assay. Methanol metanólicos de las tres especies con mayor valor ORAC
extracts of the three species with highest ORAC values (Cetrelia braunsiana (Cb), Parmotrema saccatilobum
(Cetrelia braunsiana (Cb), Parmotrema saccatilobum (Ps) and Usnea ghattensis (Ug)) y se identificaron como
(Ps) and Usnea ghattensis (Ug)) were analyzed for principales metabolitos el ácido alectorónico en Cb, el
phytochemical characterization through TLC and HPLC ácido protocetrárico en Ps y los ácidos úsnico, estíctico
methods. We identified alectoronic acid as major y constíctico en Ug. Estos tres extractos se probaron en
metabolite in Cb, protocetraric acid in Ps and usnic, células de neuroblastoma humano (línea celular SH-
stictic and constictic acids in Ug. Concerning SY5Y). Se testó la citoprotección contra el estrés
cytoprotective properties, their extracts were tested on oxidativo inducido por H2O2 mediante ensayos de
human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y. Protection viabilidad celular, estableciendo las concentraciones
aligkaeinmstoHde2lOw2-aisndaussceesdseodxibdyaticveell stress in such neuron- óptimas. Posteriormente, se valoraron sus efectos en
viability assays, thus marcadores de estrés oxidativo, como la formación
determining their optimal concentrations. Then, their intracelular de especies reactivas de oxígeno, los niveles
effect on oxidative stress markers, such as intracellular de glutatión y la actividad de la enzima caspasa-3. En
ROS formation, glutathione levels and caspase-3 general, los extractos liquénicos revirtieron el daño
activity, were evaluated. In general, lichens extracts oxidativo causado por H2O2, promoviendo la
were able to reverse the oxidative damage caused by supervivencia neuronal. Los resultados obtenidos de este
iHn2Oth2i,s and promoted neurons survival. Results obtained estudio apuntan que las especies estudiadas pueden ser
study imply that these lichen species might be prometedoras fuentes de productos naturales con
used as promising sources for natural compounds with potencial actividad neuroprotecora, sugiriendo futuras
potential neuroprotective activity, suggesting future líneas de investigación.
research avenues.
*Corresponding Author: pserra@ucm.es An Real Acad Farm Vol. 81, Nº 2 (2015), pp. 164-178
Received: Mars 26, 2015 Accepted: July 6, 2015 Language of Manuscript: English
1. INTRODUCTION present special characteristics; for instance, the
morphology, physiology and biochemistry of lichens are
A lichen is a composite organism consisting of a stable, very different from those of the isolated fungus and alga in
ecologically obligate, selfsupporting symbiosis between an culture. Lichens produce a great variety of secondary
exhabitant fungus (the mycobiont) and one or more metabolites, being most of them unique to lichen-forming
extracellulary located inhabitant, the photoautotrophic fungi. These lichen substances are mostly produced by the
partner (the photobiont: alga or cyanobacterium) (1). They
@Real Academia Nacional de Farmacia. Spain
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