Types, Secondary metabolites, biological acti...

Types, Secondary metabolites, biological activities and economic importance of Lichen: a Review

Author Name : Priyanshi Shah, MilanVala, Bharat Maitreya

ABSTRACT

Lichen is organisms which are formed through symbiotic association between fungi and algae. It is used as a spice for flavoring food, dyeing fabrics in the world. It is also used as a fertilizer. Lichen produces a great variety of secondary metabolites with many various biological activities like antibacterial, antidiabetic, antifungal, antitumor, antioxidant, and in addition, they play a major role in lichen chemotaxonomy and systematics. Lichens are important factor in metal homeostasis and pollution tolerance of lichen thalli. Lichen symbiosis has increased significantly in the last decades but their biotic and abiotic roles have not been entirely explored. All the above has been covered in this review paper.

Keywords: Lichen, secondary metabolite, phytoconstituents, economic importance.