Tropical lichen, Dirinaria consimilis, induces ROS-mediated activation of MAPKs and triggers caspase cascade mediated apoptosis in brain and cervical cancer cells
Lichens are the symbiotic association between photobiont algae and mycobiont fungi having diverse phytochemicals. However, they are still an underexplored natural resource for biological activities. In the present report, we have evaluated the anti-brain and anti-cervical cancer activity of tropical lichen, Dirinaria consimilis (DCME) through the cell viability assay, cell cycle analysis, annexin V-FLUOS staining, morphological analysis, ROS-induction mechanism, evaluation of antioxidant levels, and western blotting study. The WST-1-based cell viability assay showed the cytotoxic nature of DCME towards U87 (IC