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  • Article
  • Open Access
22 Citations
5,468 Views
16 Pages

Characterization of Sunflower Oil Extracts from the Lichen Usnea barbata

  • Shereen Basiouni,
  • Marwa A. A. Fayed,
  • Reda Tarabees,
  • Mohamed El-Sayed,
  • Ahmed Elkhatam,
  • Klaus-Rainer Töllner,
  • Manfred Hessel,
  • Thomas Geisberger,
  • Claudia Huber and
  • Awad A. Shehata
  • + 1 author

31 August 2020

The increasing global emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens is categorized as one of the most important health problems. Therefore, the discovery of novel antimicrobials is of the utmost importance. Lichens provide a rich source of natural...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolites: From Physiology to Pathology)
  • Article
  • Open Access
18 Citations
6,667 Views
17 Pages

Evaluation of the Cytotoxic Activity of the Usnea barbata (L.) F. H. Wigg Dry Extract

  • Violeta Popovici,
  • Laura Adriana Bucur,
  • Verginica Schröder,
  • Daniela Gherghel,
  • Cosmin Teodor Mihai,
  • Aureliana Caraiane,
  • Florin Ciprian Badea,
  • Gabriela Vochița and
  • Victoria Badea

17 April 2020

The secondary metabolites of lichens have proven to be promising sources of anticancer drugs; one of the most important of these is usnic acid, which is a phenolic compound with dibenzofuran structure that is responsible for the numerous biological a...

(This article belongs to the Collection Phenolic Compounds from Plants: Chemistry, Analysis and Biological Activity)
  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
15 Citations
6,142 Views
20 Pages

Advances in the Characterization of Usnea barbata (L.) Weber ex F.H. Wigg from Călimani Mountains, Romania

  • Violeta Popovici,
  • Laura Bucur,
  • Cerasela Elena Gîrd,
  • Suzana Ioana Calcan,
  • Elena Iulia Cucolea,
  • Teodor Costache,
  • Dan Rambu,
  • Mădălina Ungureanu-Iuga,
  • Mircea Oroian and
  • Victoria Badea
  • + 4 authors

22 April 2022

Usnea barbata (L.) Weber ex F.H. Wigg (U. barbata) is a medicinal representative of the lichens from the Usnea genus (Parmeliaceae, lichenized Ascomycetes), containing bioactive secondary metabolites. The aim of this study is a comparative analysis b...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plants, Lichens, Fungi and Algae Ingredients for Nutrition and Health)
  • Article
  • Open Access
3 Citations
1,841 Views
23 Pages

Phytochemical Screening and Physicochemical Properties of Oil Extract of Usnea barbata L. F.H.Wigg from Călimani Mountains, Romania

  • Mihaela Afrodita Dan,
  • Oana Cioancă,
  • Violeta Popovici,
  • Adina Magdalena Musuc,
  • George Mihai Nițulescu,
  • Mihai Anastasescu,
  • Emma Adriana Ozon,
  • Ioana Cristina Marinas,
  • Claudia Maria Guțu and
  • Dumitru Lupuliasa
  • + 5 authors

16 February 2026

Green cosmetics are primarily based on plant-derived ingredients and use sustainable biotechnological tools for their preparation. The present research aimed to investigate the Usnea barbata (U. barbata) extract in Jojoba oil (JO) enriched with 5% Pe...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Medicinal Plants and Natural Products: Second Edition)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1,871 Views
26 Pages

Physicochemical and In Vitro Biological Characterization of Usnea barbata Extract in Karanja Oil for Potential Applications in Skincare

  • Mihaela Afrodita Dan,
  • Emma Adriana Ozon,
  • Denisa Margina,
  • Marina Ionela Nedea,
  • Claudia Maria Guțu,
  • Anca Ungurianu,
  • George Mihai Nițulescu,
  • Violeta Popovici,
  • Adina Magdalena Musuc and
  • Eugen Tarta
  • + 6 authors

Plant extracts in vegetable oils are foundational and eco-responsible for skin care, combining their emollient properties with other additional benefits, derived from their antioxidant, antimicrobial and UV-absorbing activity. The present research co...

(This article belongs to the Section Cosmetic Formulations)
  • Article
  • Open Access
35 Citations
8,699 Views
27 Pages

In Vitro Anticancer Activity and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers Status Determined by Usnea barbata (L.) F.H. Wigg. Dry Extracts

  • Violeta Popovici,
  • Laura Bucur,
  • Gabriela Vochita,
  • Daniela Gherghel,
  • Cosmin Teodor Mihai,
  • Dan Rambu,
  • Suzana Ioana Calcan,
  • Teodor Costache,
  • Iulia Elena Cucolea and
  • Victoria Badea
  • + 3 authors

Lichens represent an important resource for common traditional medicines due to their numerous metabolites that can exert diverse pharmacological activities including anticancer effects. To find new anticancer compounds with fewer side effects and lo...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anticancer Antioxidants)
  • Article
  • Open Access
23 Citations
5,939 Views
30 Pages

Antioxidant, Cytotoxic, and Rheological Properties of Canola Oil Extract of Usnea barbata (L.) Weber ex F.H. Wigg from Călimani Mountains, Romania

  • Violeta Popovici,
  • Laura Bucur,
  • Cerasela Elena Gîrd,
  • Dan Rambu,
  • Suzana Ioana Calcan,
  • Elena Iulia Cucolea,
  • Teodor Costache,
  • Mădălina Ungureanu-Iuga,
  • Mircea Oroian and
  • Victoria Badea
  • + 5 authors

23 March 2022

Usnea genus (Parmeliaceae, lichenized Ascomycetes) is a potent phytomedicine, due to phenolic secondary metabolites, with various pharmacological effects. Therefore, our study aimed to explore the antioxidant, cytotoxic, and rheological properties of...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polyphenols in Plants)
  • Article
  • Open Access
15 Citations
4,435 Views
12 Pages

RETRACTED: Anticancer Activity of 2-O-Caffeoyl Alphitolic Acid Extracted from the Lichen, Usnea barbata 2017-KL-10

  • Hae-Jung Chae,
  • Geum-Jin Kim,
  • Barsha Deshar,
  • Hyun-Jin Kim,
  • Min-Ji Shin,
  • Hyukbean Kwon,
  • Ui-Joung Youn,
  • Joo-Won Nam,
  • Sung-Hak Kim and
  • Sung-Suk Suh
  • + 1 author

28 June 2021

Colorectal cancer is one of the life-threatening ailments causing high mortality and morbidity worldwide. Despite the innovation in medical genetics, the prognosis for metastatic colorectal cancer in patients remains unsatisfactory. Recently, lichens...

  • Article
  • Open Access
17 Citations
4,897 Views
31 Pages

ROS-Induced DNA-Damage and Autophagy in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Usnea barbata Oil Extract—An In Vitro Study

  • Violeta Popovici,
  • Adina Magdalena Musuc,
  • Elena Matei,
  • Oana Karampelas,
  • Emma Adriana Ozon,
  • Georgeta Camelia Cozaru,
  • Verginica Schröder,
  • Laura Bucur,
  • Ludmila Aricov and
  • Cerasela Elena Gîrd
  • + 4 authors

27 November 2022

Oxidative stress is associated with aging, cancers, and numerous metabolic and chronic disorders, and phenolic compounds are well known for their health-promoting role due to their free-radical scavenging activity. These phytochemicals could also exh...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds: Potential New Anti-inflammatory Drugs)
  • Article
  • Open Access
29 Citations
6,640 Views
21 Pages

Elemental Analysis and In Vitro Evaluation of Antibacterial and Antifungal Activities of Usnea barbata (L.) Weber ex F.H. Wigg from Călimani Mountains, Romania

  • Violeta Popovici,
  • Laura Bucur,
  • Suzana Ioana Calcan,
  • Elena Iulia Cucolea,
  • Teodor Costache,
  • Dan Rambu,
  • Verginica Schröder,
  • Cerasela Elena Gîrd,
  • Daniela Gherghel and
  • Victoria Badea
  • + 2 authors

23 December 2021

This study aims to complete our research on Usnea barbata (L.) Weber ex F.H. Wigg (U. barbata) from the Călimani Mountains, Romania, with an elemental analysis and to explore its antibacterial and antifungal potential. Thus, we analyzed twenty-t...

(This article belongs to the Section Phytochemistry)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
1,022 Views
20 Pages

Antioxidant, Photoprotective, and Antimicrobial Potential of Oil Extract of Usnea barbata L. F.H.Wigg from Călimani Mountains, Romania

  • Mihaela Afrodita Dan,
  • Marina Ionela Nedea,
  • Emma Adriana Ozon,
  • Anca Ungurianu,
  • Andreea Roxana Ungureanu,
  • Violeta Popovici,
  • Adina Magdalena Musuc,
  • Veronica Bratan,
  • Radu George Cazacincu and
  • Denisa Margina
  • + 2 authors

17 April 2026

In order to enhance the value and stability of vegetable oils, they may be enriched with essential oils and plant extracts with strong antioxidant activity, yielding innovative formulations with potential applications in skincare. The present researc...

(This article belongs to the Section Natural Products Chemistry)
  • Article
  • Open Access
31 Citations
7,349 Views
27 Pages

Usnic Acid and Usnea barbata (L.) F.H. Wigg. Dry Extracts Promote Apoptosis and DNA Damage in Human Blood Cells through Enhancing ROS Levels

  • Violeta Popovici,
  • Elena Matei,
  • Georgeta Camelia Cozaru,
  • Mariana Aschie,
  • Laura Bucur,
  • Dan Rambu,
  • Teodor Costache,
  • Iulia Elena Cucolea,
  • Gabriela Vochita and
  • Victoria Badea
  • + 2 authors

Nowadays, numerous biomedical studies performed on natural compounds and plant extracts aim to obtain highly selective pharmacological activities without unwanted toxic effects. In the big world of medicinal plants, Usnea barbata (L) F.H. Wigg (U. ba...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Redox Systems, Oxidative Stress, and Antioxidant Defences in Health and Disease)
  • Article
  • Open Access
30 Citations
6,036 Views
24 Pages

Phenolic Secondary Metabolites and Antiradical and Antibacterial Activities of Different Extracts of Usnea barbata (L.) Weber ex F.H.Wigg from Călimani Mountains, Romania

  • Violeta Popovici,
  • Laura Bucur,
  • Cerasela Elena Gîrd,
  • Antoanela Popescu,
  • Elena Matei,
  • Georgeta Camelia Cozaru,
  • Verginica Schröder,
  • Emma Adriana Ozon,
  • Ancuța Cătălina Fița and
  • Victoria Badea
  • + 4 authors

Phenolic compounds represent an essential bioactive metabolites group with numerous pharmaceutical applications. Our study aims to identify and quantify phenolic constituents of various liquid and dry extracts of Usnea barbata (L.) Weber ex F.H. Wigg...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacological Activities of Flavonoids and Its Analogues)
  • Article
  • Open Access
18 Citations
7,253 Views
35 Pages

Evaluation of Usnea barbata (L.) Weber ex F.H. Wigg Extract in Canola Oil Loaded in Bioadhesive Oral Films for Potential Applications in Oral Cavity Infections and Malignancy

  • Violeta Popovici,
  • Elena Matei,
  • Georgeta Camelia Cozaru,
  • Laura Bucur,
  • Cerasela Elena Gîrd,
  • Verginica Schröder,
  • Emma Adriana Ozon,
  • Oana Karampelas,
  • Adina Magdalena Musuc and
  • Victoria Badea
  • + 8 authors

19 August 2022

Usnea lichens are known for their beneficial pharmacological effects with potential applications in oral medicine. This study aims to investigate the extract of Usnea barbata (L.) Weber ex F.H. Wigg from the Călimani Mountains in canola oil as a...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Antioxidants and Oral Health)
  • Article
  • Open Access
19 Citations
6,184 Views
36 Pages

Design, Characterization, and Anticancer and Antimicrobial Activities of Mucoadhesive Oral Patches Loaded with Usnea barbata (L.) F. H. Wigg Ethanol Extract F-UBE-HPMC

  • Violeta Popovici,
  • Elena Matei,
  • Georgeta Camelia Cozaru,
  • Laura Bucur,
  • Cerasela Elena Gîrd,
  • Verginica Schröder,
  • Emma Adriana Ozon,
  • Mirela Adriana Mitu,
  • Adina Magdalena Musuc and
  • Victoria Badea
  • + 9 authors

13 September 2022

The oral cavity’s common pathologies are tooth decay, periodontal disease, and oral cancer; oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most frequent oral malignancy, with a high mortality rate. Our study aims to formulate, develop, characterize...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Antioxidants and Oral Health)
  • Article
  • Open Access
29 Citations
6,763 Views
37 Pages

In Vitro Anticancer Activity of Mucoadhesive Oral Films Loaded with Usnea barbata (L.) F. H. Wigg Dry Acetone Extract, with Potential Applications in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Complementary Therapy

  • Violeta Popovici,
  • Elena Matei,
  • Georgeta Camelia Cozaru,
  • Laura Bucur,
  • Cerasela Elena Gîrd,
  • Verginica Schröder,
  • Emma Adriana Ozon,
  • Adina Magdalena Musuc,
  • Mirela Adriana Mitu and
  • Victoria Badea
  • + 8 authors

28 September 2022

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most frequent oral malignancy, with a high death rate and an inadequate response to conventional chemotherapeutic drugs. Medical research explores plant extracts’ properties to obtain potential nanomat...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Anticancer Drugs based on Phytocompounds with Antioxidant Properties)
  • Article
  • Open Access
27 Citations
6,102 Views
34 Pages

Formulation and Development of Bioadhesive Oral Films Containing Usnea barbata (L.) F.H.Wigg Dry Ethanol Extract (F-UBE-HPC) with Antimicrobial and Anticancer Properties for Potential Use in Oral Cancer Complementary Therapy

  • Violeta Popovici,
  • Elena Matei,
  • Georgeta-Camelia Cozaru,
  • Laura Bucur,
  • Cerasela Elena Gîrd,
  • Verginica Schröder,
  • Emma Adriana Ozon,
  • Iulian Sarbu,
  • Adina Magdalena Musuc and
  • Victoria Badea
  • + 8 authors

Medical research explores plant extracts’ properties to obtain potential anticancer drugs. The present study aims to formulate, develop, and characterize the bioadhesive oral films containing Usnea barbata (L.) dry ethanol extract (F-UBE-HPC) a...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Study of Plant Compounds in Antioxidant Activity and Anticancer Activity)
  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
1,338 Views
25 Pages

Photochemical Responses of Parmotrema tinctorum and Usnea barbata to Light Variations in Cerrado Landscapes

  • Luciana Cristina Vitorino,
  • Márcio Rosa,
  • Bárbara Gonçalves Cruvinel,
  • Matheus Mendonça de Souza Marques,
  • Alex Marcelino Dos Santos and
  • Layara Alexandre Bessa

7 September 2025

Epiphytic lichens are vital to tropical biodiversity, their distribution shaped by light. Parmotrema tinctorum and Usnea barbata, common in open Cerrado, endure high radiation, necessitating photoprotection. This study tested the hypothesis that the...

(This article belongs to the Section Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change)
  • Article
  • Open Access
118 Citations
10,990 Views
16 Pages

Biological Activities of Toninia candida and Usnea barbata Together with Their Norstictic Acid and Usnic Acid Constituents

  • Branislav Ranković,
  • Marijana Kosanić,
  • Tatjana Stanojković,
  • Perica Vasiljević and
  • Nedeljko Manojlović

12 November 2012

The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition of acetone extracts of the lichens Toninia candida and Usnea barbata and in vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer activities of these extracts together with some of their ma...

  • Retraction
  • Open Access
602 Views
2 Pages

RETRACTED: Chae et al. Anticancer Activity of 2-O-Caffeoyl Alphitolic Acid Extracted from the Lichen, Usnea barbata 2017-KL-10. Molecules 2021, 26, 3937

  • Hae-Jung Chae,
  • Geum-Jin Kim,
  • Barsha Deshar,
  • Hyun-Jin Kim,
  • Min-Ji Shin,
  • Hyukbean Kwon,
  • Ui-Joung Youn,
  • Joo-Won Nam,
  • Sung-Hak Kim and
  • Sung-Suk Suh
  • + 1 author

5 December 2025

The journal retracts the article titled “Anticancer Activity of 2-O-Caffeoyl Alphitolic Acid Extracted from the Lichen, Usnea barbata 2017-KL-10” [...]

  • Article
  • Open Access
32 Citations
7,406 Views
16 Pages

Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities of Usnea barbata (L.) F.H. Wigg. Dry Extracts in Different Solvents

  • Violeta Popovici,
  • Laura Bucur,
  • Antoanela Popescu,
  • Verginica Schröder,
  • Teodor Costache,
  • Dan Rambu,
  • Iulia Elena Cucolea,
  • Cerasela Elena Gîrd,
  • Aureliana Caraiane and
  • Victoria Badea
  • + 2 authors

1 May 2021

Lichens represent a significant source of antioxidants due to numerous metabolites that can reduce free radicals. Usnea barbata (L.) F.H. Wigg. has been recognized and used since ancient times for its therapeutic effects, some of which are based on i...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phenolic Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Plant Extracts)
  • Article
  • Open Access
34 Citations
5,028 Views
18 Pages

Methanol Extract of Usnea barbata Induces Cell Killing, Apoptosis, and DNA Damage against Oral Cancer Cells through Oxidative Stress

  • Jen-Yang Tang,
  • Kuang-Han Wu,
  • Yen-Yun Wang,
  • Ammad Ahmad Farooqi,
  • Hurng-Wern Huang,
  • Shyng-Shiou F. Yuan,
  • Ru-In Jian,
  • Li-Yi Tsao,
  • Po-An Chen and
  • Hsueh-Wei Chang
  • + 3 authors

Some lichens provide the resources of common traditional medicines and show anticancer effects. However, the anticancer effect of Usnproliea barbata (U. barbata) is rarely investigated, especially for oral cancer cells. The aim of this study was to i...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Redox Systems, Oxidative Stress, and Antioxidant Defences in Health and Disease)
  • Article
  • Open Access
71 Citations
10,761 Views
16 Pages

Secondary Metabolite Profiling of Species of the Genus Usnea by UHPLC-ESI-OT-MS-MS

  • Francisco Salgado,
  • Laura Albornoz,
  • Carmen Cortéz,
  • Elena Stashenko,
  • Kelly Urrea-Vallejo,
  • Edgar Nagles,
  • Cesar Galicia-Virviescas,
  • Alberto Cornejo,
  • Alejandro Ardiles and
  • Carlos Areche
  • + 2 authors

27 December 2017

Lichens are symbiotic associations of fungi with microalgae and/or cyanobacteria, which are considered among the slowest growing organisms, with strong tolerance to adverse environmental conditions. There are about 400 genera and 1600 species of lich...

(This article belongs to the Section Metabolites)
  • Article
  • Open Access
13 Citations
4,889 Views
29 Pages

Impacts of Cd Pollution on the Vitality, Anatomy and Physiology of Two Morphologically Different Lichen Species of the Genera Parmotrema and Usnea, Evaluated under Experimental Conditions

  • Alex Marcelino dos Santos,
  • Luciana Cristina Vitorino,
  • Bárbara Gonçalves Cruvinel,
  • Roniel Geraldo Ávila,
  • Sebastião de Carvalho Vasconcelos Filho,
  • Priscila Ferreira Batista and
  • Layara Alexandre Bessa

29 October 2022

The heavy metal Cd accumulates in trophic chains, constituting a toxic element for photosynthesizing organisms, including the algal photobionts of lichen. Thus, as lichens respond differently to heavy metal toxicity, we hypothesized that the species...