Pharmaceutics (Feb 2024)

Evaluation of the Antifungal and Antiproliferative Properties of the Lichen <i>Roccella tinctoria</i> DC. Extracts and Main Components

  • Claudio Frezza,
  • Dalia Rosa Fraioli,
  • Francesca Conti,
  • Roberta Maria Nicolosi,
  • Luigi Scipione,
  • Ilaria Serafini,
  • Rita Petrucci,
  • Paola Di Matteo,
  • Daniele Rocco,
  • Silvia Di Giacomo,
  • Antonella Di Sotto,
  • Graziana Bonincontro,
  • Giovanna Simonetti,
  • Stefania Garzoli,
  • Daniela De Vita,
  • Sebastiano Foddai

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16030331
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 3
p. 331

Abstract

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In this work, phytochemical analysis on different extracts of Roccella tinctoria DC. was reported using different techniques with respect to the past. Twenty volatile and three non-volatile compounds were identified, some of which were found in this species for the first time. The methanolic extracts and their non-volatile components were then evaluated for their antitumor effects in cancerous A549 and Mz-ChA-1 cells and for their tolerability in non-cancerous BEAS-2B and H69 cells, showing IC50 values from 94.6 µg/mL to 416.4 µg/mL, in general. The same extracts and compounds were also tested for their antifungal effects in Candida albicans, with only compound 2 being active, with an MIC50 value of 87 µg/mL. In addition, they were tested for their anti-Candida adhesion activity, anti-Candida biofilm formation, and anti-Candida mature biofilm inhibition, with efficacy percentages generally above 50% but not for all of them. Lastly, the DF3 extract and compounds 1–2 were tested in vivo according to the Galleria mellonella survival assay, showing positive mortality rates above 50% at different concentrations. All these biological assays were conducted on this species for the first time. Comparisons with other lichens and compounds were also presented and discussed.

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