Usnea Methanol Extract Vs. Oral Cancer
Research Published Titled “Methanol Extract of Usnea barbata Induces Cell Killing, Apoptosis, and DNA Damage against Oral Cancer Cells through Oxidative Stress"
Read the Study - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7465944/
Usnea (Usnea Barbata) is a pale green lichen that grows on trees all over the world. It goes by other names, old man's beard, beard lichen, or beard moss. The main active compound that has the most research is Usnic Acid, but it contains many others .
Some Highlights:
In this study they investigated “methanol extracts of U. barbata (MEUB) against oral cancer cells” and they concluded that Usnea has an anti-oral Cancer effect. It “Demonstrates the potential to preferentially kill a number of oral cancer cell lines without reducing cell viability of a normal oral cell line.” The (MEUB) Methanol Extract Usnea Barbata was identified to contain many other active compounds, some, “aciculiferin A, barbatinic acid, and diffractaic acid, showed a cytotoxic effect to breast cancer MCF7 and cervical HeLa cells” and others.
They suggest that the “crude extracts” of Usnea that contain all of the different bioactive compounds is more effective than the use of individual compounds because all of the different compounds have their own targeting effects, and they work together creating a “a synergy” which is more useful in cancer therapy.
Other related Usnea species also were found to be effective against other tunes if cancer cells. The researchers state that Methanol extracts of U. intermedia triggered cell death in human breast and lung cancer cells, and U. filipendula caused DNA damage in human lung, liver, and rat glioma cancer cells.
The researchers were quoted as saying, “We conclude, therefore, that MEUB induces cell killing, apoptosis and DNA damage against oral cancer cells through oxidative stress.”
Please read the full research article for additional details information and findings.
By Jason Hollinger - Usnea cavernosa, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50601634
