Lichen diversity and mass culturing of P.austrosinense (Zahlbr.) Hale

Production of beneficial compounds by lichen has become a field of interest in lichenological research. The most commonly available 6 species were screened for antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Among them, the acetone extract of P.austrosinense produced substantial antimicrobial activity. However, in recent years, much emphasis has been paid on the cultured mycobiont production of medicinal compounds. The present study concentrated on lecanoric acid production from the extract of mycobiont culture of P.austrosinense with the effect of carbon, nitrogen source, pH and temperature. Chemical characterization of extract containing lichen compounds was also carried out using FTIR, UV Visible Spectrophotometer, HPLC, microcrystallization and NMR. The gene expression studies confirmed the down regulation of target TNF-¿ inflammatory marker gene in dose dependent manner and suggests the anti inflammatory activity of lecanoric acid. The present docking study also suggested the anticancer activity since the compound lecanoric acid was found to bind effectively with caspase-3, the most important marker for DLA cancer.