Unearthing anti-MRSA agents from alpine lichens: discovery and characterization of bioactive compounds in <i>Cetraria islandica</i> from the snowy Cangshan region.

ABSTRACT: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-declared a WHO priority pathogen-remains a global menace, yet no new-scaffold agent has reached the clinic in two decades. The under-investigated chemical reservoir of lichens was tapped by targeting Cetraria islandica collected in Cangshan, Yunnan. Bioassay-guided fractionation yielded lichesterinic acid (C₁₉H₃₂O₄, 95% purity, 0.32% yield), whose structure was elucidated by ¹H/¹³C NMR and HRESI-MS. Antimicrobial spectrum testing revealed that lichesterinic acid exhibited a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 64-128 μg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, and Listeria seeligeri and an inhibitory rate greater than 70% against phytopathogenic fungi su

SUBMITTER: Lu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12695739 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature