Bioactive Secondary Metabolites from Lichens

Lichens, symbiotic associations of fungi with algae or cyanobacteria, are prolific producers of structurally diverse secondary metabolites. These compounds—including depsides, depsidones, dibenzofurans and quinones—contribute to ecological fitness by deterring herbivores, inhibiting competing microbes and protecting against ultraviolet radiation. Over the past decade, secondary metabolites from lichens have attracted attention for their potent antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic and anticancer activities. Advances in chromatographic and spectrometric methods have enabled high-resolution metabolomic profiling, revealing novel metabolites with unique modes of action. Research has demonstrated the capacity of certain lichen compounds to modulate signalling pathways implicated in tumour progression, to scavenge reactive oxygen species and to inhibit key metabolic enzymes. Beyond pharmaceutical prospects, lichen extracts show promise as natural preservatives and functional food additives. Sustainable cultivation and biotechnological production remain challenges, yet progress in culture techniques and in vitro synthesis is expanding access to these valuable natural products. The global significance of lichen secondary metabolites lies in their unparalleled chemical diversity and potential to address antimicrobial resistance, oxidative stress-related disorders and metabolic disease.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Seminal work has elucidated the anticancer potential of atranorin, a common lichen depside. Studies in human lung cancer models have shown that atranorin suppresses cell motility and tumourigenesis by targeting multiple signalling axes: it inhibits β-catenin nuclear import, downregulates AP-1 transcriptional activity and attenuates STAT and Rho GTPase pathways. This multifaceted interference leads to reduced expression of genes governing proliferation and invasion, and demonstrates significant tumour growth inhibition in vitro and in vivo. Such findings underscore the capacity of a single lichen metabolite to modulate interconnected oncogenic networks and highlight atranorin as a lead scaffold for anticancer drug development.

Bioactive Secondary Metabolites from Lichens publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in bioactive secondary metabolites from lichens across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Secondary metabolite: An organic molecule not essential for primary growth but conferring ecological or pharmacological functions.

Depside/depsidone: Classes of phenolic lichen compounds characterised by linked aromatic rings via ester (depside) or cyclic ether (depsidone) bonds.

UHPLC/ESI/QToF/MS: Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionisation quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, for high-resolution metabolite identification.

IC₅₀: Concentration of a substance required to inhibit a specific biological function by 50% under defined conditions.

MIC: Minimal inhibitory concentration, the lowest concentration of an antimicrobial agent that prevents visible growth of a microorganism.

References

1. Enhanced accumulation of biologically active compounds in lichens with potential functional food applications. Food Chemistry (2024).
2. Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Potential of the Antarctic Lichen Gondwania regalis Ethanolic Extract: Metabolomic Profile and In Vitro and In Silico Evaluation. Antioxidants (2025).
3. Evaluation of the Antifungal and Antiproliferative Properties of the Lichen Roccella tinctoria DC. Extracts and Main Components. Pharmaceutics (2024).
4. The lichen secondary metabolite atranorin suppresses lung cancer cell motility and tumorigenesis. Scientific Reports (2017).