THE BIOLOGICAL POTENTIAL AND CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF PHYSCIACEAE MEMBERS

Background: Lichens remain underexplored compared to higher plants, despite their rich repertoire of bioactive compounds with potential pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmeceutical applications. Within lichens, the Physciaceae family is the second largest after Parmeliaceae, yet only a small proportion of its members have been investigated for biological potential. Existing studies suggest that promising activities, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, cytotoxic, and anti-inflammatory effects, are present, but a comprehensive synthesis is lacking. Objective: To systematically review and synthesize published data on the biological activities, chemical analyses, and bioactive compounds of Physciaceae species, highlighting research gaps and future directions. Methods: A systematic search of Google Scholar, PubMed, Academic Search, BioOne, EMBASE, Europe PMC, CAB Abstracts, Golm Metabolome Database, Index Fungorum, and arXiv identified relevant studies published between 1989 and 2024. Inclusion criteria encompassed studies assessing bioactivity (e.g., antimicrobial, antioxidant, cytotoxic) of Physciaceae species and/or isolating and characterizing their chemical compounds. The extracted data included the species studied, reported bioactivities, analytical techniques employed, and identified compounds. In total, 93 eligible studies were included. Results: Among ~25 genera in Physciaceae, only 15 species have undergone bioactivity testing. The most extensively studied genera were Anaptychia and Heterodermia. Antimicrobial activity was the most frequently reported (9 species, 8 compounds), followed by antioxidant (5 species, 6 compounds), cytotoxic (6 species, 1 compound), and anti-inflammatory (2 species, 2 compounds) effects. Techniques such as TLC, HPLC, GC-MS, LC-MS, and spectrophotometry identified compounds including atranorin, zeorin, lecanoric acid, flavonoids, fatty acids, and chlorophyll derivatives. Notably, several compounds demonstrated comparable potency to standard controls in antioxidant and antimicrobial assays. Conclusion: Physciaceae lichens harbor diverse secondary metabolites with significant biological potential, yet most species remain unexamined. Expanded research using standardized methodologies and sustainable sampling is essential to unlock their therapeutic applications while ensuring conservation.