EVALUATION OF ANTIMICROBIAL, ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTICANCER ACTIVITIES OF FEW MACROLICHENS COLLECTED FROM EASTERN GHATS OF TAMIL NADU, INDIA

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to investigate the bioactivities of various solvent extracts of lichens collected from Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu, India. The lichen samples were identified based on color tests, chemical profiling and morphological and anatomical characteristic features. Lichens such as P.grayanum, P.tinctorum, P.reticulatum and P.austrosinense were selected and analyzed for their biological activities. Among the tested lichen samples, methanol extract of P.tinctorum and P.austrosinense showed a strong antibacterial activity with the inhibition rate of 15.13±0.76 and 13.9±0.1mm respectively. P.reticulatum indicated a strong antifungal activity with the inhibition zone of 10.17±0.96mm followed by P.austrosinense and P.tinctorum. Antioxidant study revealed that IC50 value of acetone extracts of P. tinctorum showed higher antioxidant activity with IC50 of 17.52 µg/ml than P.austrosinense exhibited IC50 value of 26.39 µg/ml. These activities were confirmed through in vitro cytotoxic studies in which P. austrosinense registered the maximum control over HeLa cell lines with the IC50 value of 39.06µg/ml.