• LMDB is a repository of lichen metabolites. • LMDB centralizes 2194 lichen metabolites from 86 species. • LMDB includes 1012 ADME-qualified compounds for drug discovery. • Dominant metabolites are Lipid-like • Antioxidant is top bioactivity. Lichens represent a mutually beneficial consortium between a photobiont and a mycobiont. These pioneer organisms of terrestrial vegetation and have a long history of use in various traditional medical practices for treating diseases. Lichens can survive in harsh environments because they possess a rich and varied blend of phytochemicals. These secondary metabolites offer unique structures, crucial for developing novel drugs and dietary supplements. The Lichen Metabolite Database (LMDB) is constructed to consolidate the scattered information on these compounds onto a single, curated platform. This resource currently contains 2154 secondary metabolites from selected 84 lichen species mainly distributed in India. The data is meticulously curated to support research in fields like nutrition, drug discovery, plant physiology, phytochemistry, plant taxonomy, and environment. The metabolites were analyzed for their drug-likeness attributes, followed by a comprehensive survey of their pharmacological activities. As a part of the Food Drugs & Pharmacology platform ( https://fooddrugs.in/ ), the LMDB centralizes vital lichen metabolite information, highlights existing research gaps. LMDB is dynamic resource committed to the continuous expansion by integrating newly identified lichen metabolites. LMDB serves as a discovery ready portal that bridges the gap between traditional lichenology and modern pharmacology by providing prefiltered, lead like candidates for drug discovery and nutrition research.
Himanshu et al. (Sun,) studied this question.