Lichens in Pharmacological Action: What Happened in the Last Decade?

Lichens are a unique group of organisms, which can produce compounds that are named secondary metabolites and rarely or are not produced in other organisms. Lichens possess pharmacological actions related to their secondary metabolites. Our knowledge of lichens and their pharmacological actions rapidly increases as new technologies and devices, which facilitate the investigation of the chemical profile and biological activities of lichens, are introduced and become more readily available. In addition, new methods and perspectives, as well as suggestions for pharmacological mechanisms, accumulate daily. Furthermore, lichen substances stand as a relatively untapped source of natural products. Accordingly, researchers investigate the pharmacological actions of lichen-derived material more frequently than it was in the past. This review focused on the pharmacological activities of lichens published in the last 11 years (2012-2022). Literature data obtained from WebOfScience and PubMed databases using related search keywords revealed that anti-genotoxicity, anticancer, and anti-microbial activity studies have constantly been conducted. More recently, immunomodulatory and inflammation-related studies took to the stage. Enzyme inhibition actions were popular as well. Our selection was based on the novelty and mechanistic insight that papers presented.

Automated summary

Lichens, unique organisms that produce compounds not found in other organisms, have pharmacological actions. Advancements in technology have increased our knowledge of lichens and their pharmacological activities, making them a promising source of natural products for research.