A1 Secondary Metabolites · Depside · Umbilicaria hirsuta · Lead compound

Gyrophoric Acid Platform

The best-characterised compound in the portfolio. Published work reports ROS production, apoptosis and modulation of Akt, Erk1/2 and p38 MAPK in HeLa cells, with a validated isolation protocol giving high-purity material.

Book a 30-minute discovery call Request the data package

Evidence: Peer-reviewed 2019 · mechanistic dataset
Stage: Pilot-ready · licensing open
Indicative: € 8 000 – 35 000negotiable by scope and application

Scientific summary

Gyrophoric acid is a tridepside found at high concentration in Umbilicaria hirsuta. Our group published a validated isolation protocol producing high-purity material confirmed by HPLC and NMR, and characterised its activity in HeLa cervical carcinoma cells. It is the compound in this portfolio with the most complete mechanistic picture behind it.

Biological rationale as published

Treated cells showed reactive oxygen species production, caspase-3 activation followed by PARP cleavage, phosphatidylserine externalisation and cell-cycle changes. Activity of the stress and survival proteins p38 MAPK, Erk1/2 and Akt changed under treatment. The reported ROS effect was reversible by antioxidant pre-treatment, which is what makes the mechanism interpretable rather than merely observed.

Applications

Antiproliferative and cytotoxicity screening
Oxidative-stress and redox biology
Apoptosis pathway studies
Reference compound in metabolite panels

Assays & readouts available

MTS / cell viability, dose and time series
Flow cytometry: cell cycle, annexin V
ROS detection with antioxidant rescue controls
Western blot of stress/survival proteins
HPLC and NMR purity confirmation

Specification

Compound class	Tridepside (lichen secondary metabolite)
Biological source	Umbilicaria hirsuta, Slovak populations
Evidence status	Published evidence (in vitro) + mechanistic dataset available under NDA
Publication	Goga M et al., BMC Complement Altern Med 2019;19:221 — doi:10.1186/s12906-019-2631-4
Typical pilot	Bioactivity pilot 4–8 weeks, or custom research pilot 8–12 weeks
Deliverables	Purified material, assay data, technical report, recommendations
Engagement	Feasibility scan · pilot · licensing · co-development
Indicative price	€ 8 000 – 35 000, negotiable by scope and application

All published findings for this compound are in vitro. They are not evidence of clinical efficacy, safety in humans, or regulatory status, and we do not present them as such.

What happens next

Book a call or send an inquiry. Tell us the target, the application and the timeline.
We answer within three working days — including when the answer is that we cannot help.
NDA before disclosure, if you need one. Tick the box on the form.
Feasibility scan or pilot proposal with a defined scope, deliverable and price.

Book a 30-minute discovery call Send an inquiry

Common questions

How does an engagement start?

With a free 30-minute discovery call. We establish whether there is a fit and what the right next step is. Nothing is committed at that point.

Can we sign an NDA before we describe our project?

Yes. Tick the NDA box on the inquiry form and we arrange it before any disclosure.

Are the prices on this site binding?

No. They are indicative ranges so that you can size a project before contacting us. Final terms are negotiated per scope.

How quickly do you reply?

Every inquiry is acknowledged within one working day and answered by the responsible group leader within three.

What happens if you cannot help?

We say so, early, and where we can we point you to someone who can. A negative feasibility answer delivered quickly is a useful result.

Related in Secondary Metabolites

Depsidone · Hypogymnia physodes

3-Hydroxyphysodic Acid Antioxidant Line

The strongest radical scavenger in our comparative metabolite study — and the comparison was made per mole rather than per unit weight. That distinction matters when you translate a screening result into a formulation dose.

Evidence: Peer-reviewed 2022 · DPPH + superoxide
Stage: Pilot-ready · licensing open
Indicative: € 5 000 – 25 000negotiable by scope and application

View details Discuss this

Depside · Reference metabolite

Atranorin Bioactivity Line

A widely cited lichen compound with repeatedly published bioactivity, included in both of our screening studies. A dependable reference compound and panel anchor for antiproliferative, antioxidant and antimicrobial work.

Evidence: Peer-reviewed 2022 & 2023
Stage: Pilot-ready · licensing open
Indicative: € 4 000 – 22 000negotiable by scope and application

View details Discuss this

Depsidone · Hypogymnia physodes

Physodic Acid Bioactivity Line

Present in both of our published panels, with antioxidant and antiproliferative activity reported in 2D and 3D models. A natural comparator when you want to benchmark a candidate against gyrophoric acid within one experimental system.

Evidence: Peer-reviewed 2022 & 2023
Stage: Pilot-ready · licensing open
Indicative: € 5 000 – 25 000negotiable by scope and application

View details Discuss this

Tell us what you are trying to achieve.

A free 30-minute call establishes whether there is a fit and what the right next step is. Every inquiry is acknowledged within one working day and answered by the responsible group leader within three.

Book a 30-minute discovery call Send an inquiry instead