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parietin
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Parietin, or physcion, is the predominant cortical pigment of lichens in the genus Caloplaca, a secondary product of the lichen Xanthoria parietina, and a pigment found in the roots of curled dock (Rumex crispus). It has an orange-yellow color and absorbs blue light.
Chemical data
- Formula
- C16H12O5
- Molecular weight
- 284.26 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 1,8-dihydroxy-3-methoxy-6-methylanthracene-9,10-dione
via PubChem
Drug data · ChEMBL
- Molecule type
- Small molecule
via ChEMBL · EBI
~2 min read
Encyclopedic overview
3 sectionsContents
- Effect on human cancer cells
- References
- Further reading
Parietin, or physcion, is the predominant cortical pigment of lichens in the genus Caloplaca, a secondary product of the lichen Xanthoria parietina, and a pigment found in the roots of curled dock (Rumex crispus). It has an orange-yellow color and absorbs blue light.
Parietin has also been shown to protect lichens against UV-B light, at high altitudes in alpine regions. The UV-B light stimulates production of parietin, protecting the lichens from damage. Lichens in arctic regions such as Svalbard retain this capability though they do not encounter damaging levels of UV-B, a capability that could help protect the lichens in case of ozone layer thinning.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “parietin” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.