Research Article

Cytotoxic Activity and Antioxidant Capacity of Purified Lichen Metabolites: An In Vitro Study

  1. Fabrizia Brisdelli1,*,
  2. Mariagrazia Perilli1,
  3. Doriana Sellitri1,
  4. Marisa Piovano2,
  5. Juan A. Garbarino2,
  6. Marcello Nicoletti3,
  7. Argante Bozzi1,
  8. Gianfranco Amicosante1,
  9. Giuseppe Celenza1

Article first published online: 25 MAY 2012

DOI: 10.1002/ptr.4739

Issue

Phytotherapy Research

Phytotherapy Research

Volume 27, Issue 3, pages 431–437, March 2013

Additional Information

How to Cite

Brisdelli, F., Perilli, M., Sellitri, D., Piovano, M., Garbarino, J. A., Nicoletti, M., Bozzi, A., Amicosante, G. and Celenza, G. (2013), Cytotoxic Activity and Antioxidant Capacity of Purified Lichen Metabolites: An In Vitro Study. Phytother. Res., 27: 431–437. doi: 10.1002/ptr.4739

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, University of L'Aquila, L’ Aquila, Italy

  2. 2

    Department of Chemistry, Universidad Federico Santa Maria, Valparaiso, Chile

  3. 3

    Department of Enviromental Biology, University Sapienza, Rome, Italy

* Correspondence to: Dr Fabrizia Brisdelli, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, Coppito 2, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.
E-mail: fabrizia.brisdelli@cc.univaq.it

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 6 MAR 2013
  2. Article first published online: 25 MAY 2012
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 22 APR 2012
  4. Manuscript Revised: 17 APR 2012
  5. Manuscript Received: 6 DEC 2011

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Keywords:

  • lichen metabolites;
  • cytotoxic activity;
  • apoptosis;
  • ROS;
  • caspases

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of six lichen metabolites (diffractaic acid, lobaric acid, usnic acid, vicanicin, variolaric acid, protolichesterinic acid) on proliferation, viability and reactive oxygen species (ROS) level towards three human cancer cell lines, MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma), HeLa (cervix adenocarcinoma) and HCT-116 (colon carcinoma). Cells were treated with different concentrations (2.5–100 μM) of these compounds for 48 h. In this comparative study, our lichen metabolites showed various cytotoxic effects in a concentration-dependent manner, and usnic acid was the most potent cytotoxic agent, while variolaric acid did not inhibit the proliferation of any of the three cell lines used. All tested lichen compounds did not exhibit free radical scavenging activity using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The lichen metabolites did not significantly increase the intracellular ROS level and did not prevent oxidative injury induced by t-butylhydroperoxide in HeLa cells. To better clarify the mechanism(s) of cytotoxic effect induced by protolichesterinic acid in HeLa cells, we investigated apoptotic markers such as condensation and fragmentation of nuclear chromatin and activation of caspase-3, 8 and 9. Our results revealed that the antiproliferative activity of 40 μM protolichesterinic acid in HeLa cells is related to its ability to induce programmed cell death involving caspase-3, 8 and 9 activation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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