Bioaccessibility, anti-Helicobacter pylori activity and immunomodulatory effects of Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl. extract: in vitro assessment of potential food-related applications
Abstract
Lichens are a promising but insufficiently explored source of bioactive secondary metabolites. This study aimed to characterize Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl. extract and evaluate, under in vitro conditions, its anti- Helicobacter pylori and urease-inhibitory activity, immunomodulatory effects, gastrointestinal bioaccessibility, food-matrix interactions, and effects on selected lactic-acid bacteria. The extract was dominated by physodic acid (32%), physodalic acid (23%), 3-hydroxyphysodic acid (17%), and atranorin (11%). It inhibited tested H. pylori strains, including isolates with different antibiotic-resistance phenotypes, with MIC values of 31.25–125 mg/L, and inhibited urease with an IC₅₀ of 14.45 mg/L. In LPS-stimulated THP-1-derived macrophages, the extract reduced NO and ROS levels, COX-2 protein levels, and phagocytosis, while cell viability remained largely unaffected up to 75 µg/mL. Simulated gastrointestinal digestion showed limited, metabolite-dependent soluble bioaccessibility; food matrices, particularly protein-rich ones, markedly affected metabolite recovery. Relative protein digestibility decreased by up to 25%, whereas starch digestibility was unaffected. The digested extract did not inhibit the nine tested lactic-acid bacterial strains. Overall, these in vitro findings support further investigation, but toxicological, microbiome, mechanistic, and in vivo studies are required before functional-food applications can be established.
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BibTeX
@article{dresler2026bioaccessibility,
title = {{Bioaccessibility, anti-Helicobacter pylori activity and immunomodulatory effects of Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl. extract: in vitro assessment of potential food-related applications}},
author = {Sławomir Dresler and Izabela Baczewska and Katarzyna Sawa-Wejksza and Izabela Korona-Głowniak and Katarzyna Suśniak and Łukasz Sęczyk and Dominik Szwajgier and Klaudia Gustaw and Grzegorz Borowski and Wirginia Kukula-Koch},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-74695-x},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-74695-x},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Bioaccessibility, anti-Helicobacter pylori activity and immunomodulatory effects of Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl. extract: in vitro assessment of potential food-related applications
AU - Sławomir Dresler
AU - Izabela Baczewska
AU - Katarzyna Sawa-Wejksza
AU - Izabela Korona-Głowniak
AU - Katarzyna Suśniak
AU - Łukasz Sęczyk
AU - Dominik Szwajgier
AU - Klaudia Gustaw
AU - Grzegorz Borowski
AU - Wirginia Kukula-Koch
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-74695-x
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-74695-x
AB - Lichens are a promising but insufficiently explored source of bioactive secondary metabolites. This study aimed to characterize Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl. extract and evaluate, under in vitro conditions, its anti- Helicobacter pylori and urease-inhibitory activity, immunomodulatory effects, gastrointestinal bioaccessibility, food-matrix interactions, and effects on selected lactic-acid bacteria. The extract was dominated by physodic acid (32%), physodalic acid (23%), 3-hydroxyphysodic acid (17%), and atranorin (11%). It inhibited tested H. pylori strains, including isolates with different antibiotic-resistance phenotypes, with MIC values of 31.25–125 mg/L, and inhibited urease with an IC₅₀ of 14.45 mg/L. In LPS-stimulated THP-1-derived macrophages, the extract reduced NO and ROS levels, COX-2 protein levels, and phagocytosis, while cell viability remained largely unaffected up to 75 µg/mL. Simulated gastrointestinal digestion showed limited, metabolite-dependent soluble bioaccessibility; food matrices, particularly protein-rich ones, markedly affected metabolite recovery. Relative protein digestibility decreased by up to 25%, whereas starch digestibility was unaffected. The digested extract did not inhibit the nine tested lactic-acid bacterial strains. Overall, these in vitro findings support further investigation, but toxicological, microbiome, mechanistic, and in vivo studies are required before functional-food applications can be established.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -