SECONDARY METABOLITE ISOLATION FROM INDONESIAN FOLIOUS LICHEN: Phyloporon aciculare (Ach.) Nyl

Lichen has been investigated for discovering new antibacterial agents. Although Indonesia is considered one of the megadiverse countries and a home to a diverse array of lichen species, research on lichens for medicinal properties remains scarce. In this study, an intensive semi-preparative High-Performance Liquid Chromatography successfully isolated a major compound from Phyloporon aciculare, with its molecular structure proposed as methyl 2,4- dihydroxy-3,6-dimethylbenzoate by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectral and was confirmed by Mass Spectrometry data analysis. The crude extract of the lichen possessed a selective antibacterial activity in which significantly inhibited Kocuria rhizophila by 96.9% at a 100 µg/mL concentration. In addition, previous reports on methyl 2,4-dihydroxy3,6-dimethylbenzoate from other species indicated the compound to have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities.