Biological and phytochemical evaluation: Pseudevernia furfuracea as an alternative multifunctional agent

• Antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities of P. furfuracea were evaluated.
• Methanol extract of P. furfuracea showed strong antioxidant activity.
• Water extract exhibited considerable tyrosinase inhibitory activity.
• Methanol extract was found rich in both phenolic and flavonoid compounds.
• The plant was found rich in poly-unsaturated fatty acids.

The in vitro antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities of methanol and water extracts of Pseudevernia furfuracea (L) Zopf were evaluated. 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging, cupric ion reducing (CUPRAC), metal chelating and phosphomolybdenum assays identified the methanol extract as superiority to the water extract. The water extract had the highest ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) activity (105.97 mg trolox equivalents/g extract). The extracts showed weak inhibitory activity on cholinesterases. The water extract exhibited the highest tyrosinase inhibitory activity (7.46 mg kojic acid equivalent/g extract). The inhibitory activities of the methanol extract on α-amylase and α-glucosidase were 3.46 and 2.52 mmol acarbose equivalent/g extract respectively. The methanol extract was rich in both phenolic and flavonoid compounds. The methanol extract also contained considerable amounts of kaempferol and hesperidin. P. furfuracea was shown to be rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Among the polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid was the most abundant (27.87%).