Unlocking Nature’s Pharmacy - the story of an Irish Bog Lichen

Ireland is home to almost 250 recorded lichen species [1] including 57 species of genus Cladonia [2]. Irish Bogs harbour Cladonia portentosa as one of the most abundant lichen, located on the west coast and acidic boglands. A lichen is a symbiotic combination of photobiont algae and mycobiont fungi. Algal part undergoes primary production (photosynthesis) to produce nutrients, that are taken up by fungi to produce a class of secondary metabolites called lichenic acids. Lichenic acids exhibit a broad-spectrum bioactivity and their composition and proportion varies with maturity and micro- and macro-environments of lichens viz. geographical locations, seasons and nutrient availability.

Samples of C. portentosa were collected from six different locations on Irish boglands and were subjected to three different extraction methods (soxhlet, ultra-sonication and maceration) using methanol as solvent, to yield 18 extracts. Chemical profiling of these extracts was performed by TLC, HPLC and NMR. Samples were prepared in duplicate for NMR measurements, and data was analysed using a metabolomic approach to study the variation of metabolites in same species from different locations. Soxhlet extraction proved to be the most efficient method of extraction, giving the highest yields and extracting greater number of metabolites as revealed by TLC and HPLC. results. Metabolomic analysis of NMR data differentiate the metabolite profiles of C portentosa from different locations. The structures of the principal metabolites common to all the C. portentosa samples from all regions, will be reported.

No conflict of interest.

• References

• 1 Whelan P. 2011. Lichens of Ireland. Collins Press;
• 2 https://www.irishlichens.ie/lichen-cladonia.html

Publication History

Article published online:
13 December 2021