Antibacterial Activity and Mechanisms of Essential Oil from Citrus medica L. var. sarcodactylis

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 24; no. 8; p. 1577
• Main Authors: Li, Ze-Hua, Cai, Ming, Liu, Yuan-Shuai, Sun, Pei-Long, Luo, Shao-Lei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 22.04.2019; MDPI
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - chemistry; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; antibacterial; Antibacterial activity; Bacteria; Cell death; Cell walls; Citrus - chemistry; Citrus fruits; Citrus medica; Coliforms; Cytology; E coli; essential oil; Essential oils; finger citron; Food; Gas chromatography; Gram-negative bacteria; Gram-Negative Bacteria - growth & development; Gram-positive bacteria; Gram-Positive Bacteria - growth & development; Growth rate; Hydrocarbons; Lauric acid; Limonene; Lysis; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; mechanism; Membrane permeability; Microorganisms; Morphology; Oils & fats; Oils, Volatile - chemistry; Oils, Volatile - pharmacology; Permeability; Plant Oils - chemistry; Plant Oils - pharmacology; Scanning electron microscopy; Terpinene; antibacterial; essential oil; mechanism; finger citron
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules24081577

In this work, antibacterial activity of finger citron essential oil (FCEO, ) and its mechanism against food-borne bacteria were evaluated. A total of 28 components in the oil were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, in which limonene (45.36%), γ-terpinene (21.23%), and dodecanoic acid (7.52%) were three main components. For in vitro antibacterial tests, FCEO exhibited moderately antibacterial activity against common food-borne bacteria: , , and . It showed a better bactericidal effect on Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative. Mechanisms of the antibacterial action were investigated by observing changes of bacteria morphology according to scanning electron microscopy, time-kill analysis, and permeability of cell and membrane integrity. Morphology of tested bacteria was changed and damaged more seriously with increased concentration and exposure time of FCEO. FCEO showed a significant reduction effect on the growth rate of surviving bacteria and lead to lysis of the cell wall, intracellular ingredient leakage, and consequently, cell death.