Determination of usnic and perlatolic acids and identification of olivetoric acids in Northern reindeer lichen (Cladonia stellaris) extracts

AbstractThe ecologically important lichen Cladonia stellaris forms thick carpets in boreal forest floors. In addition to affecting temperature and water conditions in the soil underneath, the secondary metabolites formed by the lichen layer are of ecological interest. In this paper, we investigated the distribution of lichen acids in C. stellaris collected at different latitudes in Finland and developed methods to quantify the two optical enantiomers of usnic acid separately. The lichen extracts were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV and mass spectrometric (MS) detection and by gas chromatography with flame ionization (GC-FID) and MS detection. Usnic acid and…