Sekikaic acid is an organic compound in the structural class of chemicals known as depsides. It is found in some lichens. First isolated from Ramalina sekika, it is a fairly common lichen product in Ramalina and Cladonia, both genera of lichen-forming fungi. The species epithet of the powdery lichen Lepraria sekikaica refers to the presence of this substanceâÂÂa rarity in genus Lepraria.
In its purified form, sekikaic acid exists as colourless rectangular prisms or rhombic plates. Its molecular formula is C<sub>22</sub>H<sub>26</sub>0<sub>8</sub>. It has a melting point of . An ethanolic solution of sekikaic acid reacts with iron(III) chloride to produce a violet colour. Its ultraviolet spectrum has three peaks of maximum absorption (û<sub>max</sub>) at 219, 263, and 303 nm.
Sekikaic acid has been demonstrated to have several biological activities in laboratory experiments. These include antioxidant activity, inhibition of the enzymes ñ-glucosidase and ñ-amylase, hypoglycemic activity, and lipid-lowering activity. It also has antiviral activity against Respiratory syncytial virus, even more so than the standard antiviral medication ribavirin.
The sekikaic acid contains similar compounds that are metabolically related to sekikaic acid. It comprises sekikaic acid as the major compound, and 4O-demethylsekikaic and homosekikaic acids as satellite metabolites.