Abstract

Psoromic acid is a natural depsidone compound, often found in the lichen sources such as Usnea complanata and Rhizoplaca melanophthalma. It was reported to have versatile antioxidative, enzyme inhibitory and therapeutic properties. Studies on the biological activities of psoromic acid in the last decade have explored its potential in treating diseases like cancer, tuberculosis and cardiovascular disease. The present study extensively reviewed relevant works of literature from the sources like Scopus, Elsevier, MEDLINEPubMed, SpringerLink and Google Scholar. Biological activities such as antioxidant, gastroprotective effect, cardiovascular protection, anticancer, antitumor, antiviral response and enzyme inhibition were exclusively summarized. The proven therapeutic properties of psoromic acid suggested future clinical research in a larger sample size for the pharmacological acceptance of its antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer effects. The review may broaden the scope of knowledge of researchers to study pharmacokinetics, molecular mechanisms, efficacy and drug safety of psoromic acid and its derivatives.