CASP3 and cancer: Within the anticancer potential of the secondary metabolites of lichens, several molecular mechanisms were found that cause cytotoxic effects in cancer cells; many of these with the purpose of triggering cell apoptosis, such as the depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential, the modulation of genes and proteins that regulate apoptosis (such as p53, Bcl-2, Bax, among others), the activation of caspase-3 and the intracellular increase in ROS.