Candida albicans is a commensal coloniser of the human gastrointestinal tract and an opportunistic pathogen, especially thanks to its capacity to form biofilms. This lifestyle is frequently involved in infections and increases the yeast resistance to antimicrobials and immune defenses. In this context, 38 lichen acetone extracts have been prepared and evaluated for their activity against C. albicans planktonic and sessile cells. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of extracts (MICs) were determined using the broth microdilution method. Anti-biofilm activity was evaluated using tetrazolium salt (XTT) assay as the ability to inhibit the maturation phase (anti-maturation) or to eradicate a preformed 24 h old biofilm (anti-biofilm). While none of the extracts were active against planktonic cells, biofilm maturation was limited by 11 of the tested extracts. Seven extracts displayed both anti-maturation and anti-biofilm activities (half maximal inhibitory concentrations IC50_mat and IC50_biof ≤ 100 µg/mL); Evernia prunastri and Ramalina fastigiata were the most promising lichens (IC50_mat < 4 µg/mL and IC50_biof < 10 µg/mL). Chemical profiles of the active extracts performed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) have been analyzed. Depsides, which were present in large amounts in the most active extracts, could be involved in anti-biofilm activities. This work confirmed that lichens represent a reservoir of compounds with anti-biofilm potential.

A new chloro-depsidone (1) and five known compounds, variolaric acid (2), lecanoric acid (3), alpha-alectoronic acid (4), atranorin (5), and ergosterol peroxide (6), have been isolated from the lichen Ochrolechia parella. The structure of compound 1 was elucidated by spectroscopic analysis. Additionally, the tautomeric equilibrium of compound 4 was investigated. In the present study, two specimens of this lichen, growing under different light conditions, were analyzed. The major compound in both samples was found to be 2, but the amount of this metabolite was significantly higher in the shaded specimen (0.76% w/w). The new compound parellin (1) predominated in the specimen grown under shady conditions, while atranorin (5) was found only in the sunlit specimen. The cytotoxic activities of 2, 4, and 6 against B16 melanoma cells were evaluated.

A new diphenyl ether (1), along with 12 known compounds, was isolated from the lichen Diploicia canescens. The structure of compound 1 was elucidated by spectroscopic data analysis, and the biosynthetic origin of this product is discussed. Secalonic acids B (7), D (8), and F (9) were isolated for the first time from D. canescens. The cytotoxic activities of 1-3, 6-8, and 10 against the B16 murine melanoma and HaCaT human keratinocyte cell lines were evaluated.

Covering: up to 2016.When looking for dibenzofuran in the biochemical databases, most papers and reviews deal with pollutants and polychlorinated dibenzofurans like dioxins. But dibenzofurans are also biosynthetized by a wide diversity of organisms in nature. Even if dibenzofurans from natural sources represent a small class of secondary metabolites, compared to flavonoids, xanthones or terpenoids, they are often endowed with interesting biological properties which have been recently described. This review provides an update on papers describing dibenzofurans from lichens, ascomycetes and cultured mycobionts. Other sources, such as basidiomycetes, myxomycetes or plants produce sporadically interesting dibenzofurans in terms of structures and activities.

Bioactivity-guided fractionations of chloromethylenic extract of the roots of U. afzelii (Annonaceae), using Leishmania donovani and Trypanosoma brucei brucei bioassay, resulted in the isolation of the two known compounds, emorydone (1) and demethoxymatteucinol (2), previously isolated from the stems, which were characterised from this source. In addition, the novel 1-indanone, afzeliindanone (3), was also isolated. The structure determination of afzeliindanone (3) was elucidated on the basis of spectral data as 4-[4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl]-indan-1-one. This compound is the first 1-indanone derivative isolated from plants.

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Fungal communities associated to three epiphytic lichens active against Candida, were investigated using culture-based methods We hypothetized that associated fungi would contribute to lichens activities. The ability of specific fungi to grow inside or outside lichens was investigated. To detect biogenesis pathways involved in the production of secondary metabolites, genes coding for nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) and polyketide synthase I (PKS I) were screened by PCR from fungal DNA extracts. Both endo and epilichenic communities were isolated from two fructicose (Evernia prunastri and Ramalina fastigiata) and one foliose (Pleurosticta acetabulum) lichens. A total of 86 endolichenic and 114 epilichenic isolates were obtained, corresponding to 18 and 24 phylogenetic groups respectively suggesting a wide diversity of fungi. The communities and the species richness were distinct between the three lichens which hosted potentially new fungal species. Additionally, the endo- and epilichenic communities differed in their composition: Sordariomycetes were particularly abundant among endolichenic fungi and Dothideomycetes among epilichenic fungi. Only a few fungi colonized both habitats, such as S. fimicola, Cladosporium sp1 and Botrytis cinerea. Interestingly, Nemania serpens (with several genotypes) was the most abundant endolichenic fungus (53% of isolates) and was shared by the three lichens. Finally, 12 out of 36 phylogenetic groups revealed the presence of genes coding for nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPs) and polyketide synthase I (PKS I). This study shows that common lichens are reservoirs of diverse fungal communities, which could potentially contribute to global activity of the lichen and, therefore, deserve to be isolated for further chemical studies.

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