Abstract :

Lichens and lichen products have been used in traditional medicines for centuries and still hold considerable interest as alternative treatments in various parts of the world. In this study, the anthelmintic and antioxidant efficacy of methanol extract of two macrolichens of Bhadra wildlife sanctuary namely Ramalina hossei H. Magn & G. Awasthi and Ramalina conduplicans Vain. were investigated. Extracts of both lichens exhibited concentration dependent anthelmintic activity as revealed by paralysis and death of adult Indian earth worms. Among lichen extracts, R. hossei showed potent anthelmintic activity as compared to R. conduplicans. The DPPH free radical scavening and Fe+3reducing assay showed potent antioxidant activity of extracts in a dose dependant manner. R. hossei exhibited high free radical scavenging activity than R. conduplicans. Metabolites namely usnic acid, sekikaic acid, selanizic acid, tannins and others were detected in methanol extracts of the lichens. The results of the present study suggest that the lichen extracts could be used as natural antioxidants and could be used to control helminthic infections. Further studies are to be taken to isolate active constituents and determine the antioxidant and anthelmintic efficacy in vitro and in vivo.