[MBKM] The MBKM Team from the Faculty of Biology at UGM, consisting of Zildan Basara (Biology 2020) and Mia Fadilah (Biology 2020), under the guidance of Didik Huswo Utomo, Ph.D., as INBIO Supervisor, and Sari Darmasiwi, S.Si., M. Biotech., Ph.D., as MBKM Supervisor, examined the antibacterial activity of active compounds from the Russula aeurginea mushroom against opportunistic skin pathogens Staphylococcus spp. through in silico and in vitro studies. The research investigated two distinct titles: ‘In Silico Study of Antibacterial Activity of Russula aeruginea Compounds against Staphylococcus hominis using Molecular Docking via Alphafold Approach’ and ‘Analysis of Russula aeruginea Fungus Potential as Antibacterial against Opportunistic Skin Pathogens Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus hominis, and Staphylococcus epidermis through Reverse Docking Method.
Staphylococcus spp. bacteria are gram-positive bacteria that typically exist as normal flora on human and animal skin. However, certain strains of Staphylococcus spp. can cause infections in humans, including skin infections, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and central nervous system infections. One way to combat Staphylococcus spp. infections is through antibiotic use. However, excessive antibiotic use leads to antibiotic resistance in these bacteria.An approach to address antibiotic resistance involves discovering new bioactive compounds with antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacteria, including harnessing fungi. Fungi are widely used in various fields such as food, medicine, and cosmetics. One intriguing fungal genus for research is Russula. Among numerous Russula species, Russula aeruginea remains understudied. R. aeruginea is a food fungus found in Indonesian forests.
The research revealed antibacterial compounds from Russula aeruginea through wet lab and dry lab methods. The wet lab employed GC-MS, yielding the dominant compound 8,11-Octadecadienoic acid methyl ester. Meanwhile, dry lab results identified 21 active compounds, including russulanorol, 2,4,6-octatriyn-1-ol, ergosterol, lactarolide A, and SHCHC, showing antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus spp. Therefore, the molecular docking research concerning bioactive compounds from Russula aeruginea against Staphylococcus spp. plays a crucial role in developing new therapeutic potentials and discovering antimicrobial compounds for combating antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.”