Introduction: Cladonia rangiformis, also known as reindeer lichen, has been used for various remedies in folk medicine. The rich nutritional value of this lichen is reflected in the fact that it contains atranorin, which has been proven to have numerous biological activities. Objective: The chemical composition, antioxidant, anticholinesterase, and antigenotoxic activities of the C. rangiformis acetone extract were investigated. The novelty of this work is that anticholinesterase activity, protective effect on human lymphocytes, and antioxidant activity by the cupric-reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) method of C. rangiformis extract were determined for the first time, as well as gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS) profile. Methods: Chemical composition was carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-diode array detector and GC-MS. Antigenotoxic effect was evaluated in human lymphocytes by cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay. Total phenolic content, DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging capacities, CUPRAC, and total reducing power were determined spectrophotometrically. Determination of acetylcholinesterase activity was performed by Ellman's colorimetry assay. The statistical analysis of variance (One-way ANOVA) was performed using Origin software package version 7.0. Results: HPLC method was used to identified 3 compounds with atranorin as predominant constituent (97.2%). Fumarprotocetraric and atraric acid were represented in a much smaller mutually approximate amount, 0.3 and 0.5%, respectively. Rangiformic acid was the most abundant volatile compound. Acetone extract of C. rangiformis (2 μg/mL) decreased the frequency of micronuclei by 15.5% while the radioprotectant amifostine reduced the frequency of occurrence of micronuclei by 11.4%. On the contrary, at a concentration of 1.0 mg/mL the extract exhibited an activating effect on cholinesterase (2.0%), while at a concentration of 10.0 mg/mL it showed a weak inhibitory effect (7.3%). The total phenol content was 132.71 μg gallic acid equivalents per mg of dry extract. The IC₅₀ value for the DPPH experiment was 16.19 mg/mL and for ABTS was 11.80 mg/mL. Cupric reducing capacity and total reducing power were 17.81 μg Trolox equivalents per mg of dry extract and 0.45 μg ascorbic acid equivalents per mg of dry extract, respectively. Conclusion: In addition to previously identified compounds in the acetone extract, atraric acid was identified for the first time by using HPLC method, and orcinol, β-orcinol, lauric alcohol, atranol, and rangiformic acid by using GC-MS method. The results of biological activity proved that acetone extract had antioxidant capacity and weak anticholinesterase activity. Reduction of the number of micronuclei in human lymphocytes, classified C. rangiformis as promising substances source with beneficial effects on DNA damage.

The aim of this work was to determine the chemical composition of the ether, ethyl acetate and dichloromethane extracts of Ramalina capitata by GC–FID and GC–MS for the first time. The main identified components in the ether, ethyl acetate and dichloromethane extracts were everninic acid (24.7, 33.7 and 22.2%), orcinol (25.8, 16.7 and 11.9%), orcinol monomethyl ether (11.6, 7.6 and 4.8%), 3-methylorsellinic acid (10.2, 7.1 and 9.0%) and usnic acid (4.4, 8.2 and 25.8%), respectively. Considerable amount (10.4%) of 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy-3,5,6-trimethylbenzoic acid was detected in ethyl acetate extract. Additionally, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid and stearic acid and their esters were observed in the dichloromethane and ethyl acetate extracts in the range of 4.1–0.1%, while their amount was below 0.05% in the ether extract. According to the results reported here R. capitata predominantly biosynthesises derivatives of orcinol and, in much lesser extent, derivatives of β-orcinol.

This is the first report of the high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry profile of a herbal mixture (HM) made of Juniperus oxycedrus L. (redberry juniper) berries, inner bark of Betula pendula Roth. (silver birch), and grains of Avena sativa L. (oat), and its effect on the No. of micronuclei (MN) in human lymphocytes and toxicity toward Artemia salina. Constituents represented by over 1000 µg per g of methanol dry extract were gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, and amentoflavone. The methanol extract of the HM at a concentration of 2.0 μg/mL decreased MN frequency by 38.3%, which was more than 3 times greater than that of the radioprotectant amifostine. The essential oil isolated from the HM was composed mainly of β-myrcene (32%) and showed weaker toxicity toward Artemia salina than the positive control after both incubation periods (24 h and 48 h). These findings suggest that the examined HM, beside its ethnopharmacological relevance on the elimination of renal calculi, also significantly reduces the No. of MN in human lymphocytes.

The amount of nineteen elements in eleven different lichen species, six fruticose (Bryoria capillaris, Bryoria fuscescens, Cladonia rangiformis, Ramalina capitata, Usnea chaetophora and Evernia prunastri) and five foliose (Hypogymnia tubulosa, Lobaria pulmonaria, Peltigera horizontalis, Umbilicaria cylindrica and Umbilicaria crustulosa) from five natural areas of the Balkan Peninsula (Serbia and Bulgaria) were determined by using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Among macronutrients, the highest content was observed for Ca and K, while Mg and Na were represented in the smallest amount. Fe, Mn, Zn and Ba were the most abundant trace elements in contrast to Cd and Co, whose concentration? w?re the lowest.

Pesticides commonly used in the Republic of Serbia (tebuconazole, pendimethalin, pyraclostrobin, propiconazole and famoxadone) have high stability, so their potential toxicity to humans needs to be investigated. These pesticides are in use in the Republic of Serbia in various formulations. Their toxicity and interactions with acetylcholinesterase were thoroughly investigated in this study using computational tools. The ADMET (adsorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, toxicity) study showed that all of them are efficient oral compounds, and that pendimethalin was a mutagenic compound. Glide scores ranged from ?18.41 (pendimethalin) to ?27.61 kJ mol-1 (famoxadone) in Mus musculus, and from ?19.58 (pendimethalin) to ?24.31 kJ mol-1 (propiconazole) in Homo sapiens. In addition, the experimental stability of the pesticides solutions in methanol was studied using the fast gas chromatography?mass spectrometry (GC?MS, retention times of the studied pesticides ranged from 14.47 (pendimethalin) to 22 min (famoxadone)). They showed good stability over time, apart from pyraclostrobin which decomposed mainly into its desmethoxy derivative after 20 months. Based on the promising modelling results, pyraclostrobin and famoxadone emerge as potential candidates for further investigation in the treatment of Alzheimer?s disease, taking care to increase their stability.