Antibacterial Effects and Mechanism of Mandarin ( Citrus reticulata L.) Essential Oil against Staphylococcus aureus

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 25; no. 21; p. 4956
• Main Authors: Song, Xueying, Liu, Ting, Wang, Lei, Liu, Liu, Li, Xiaoping, Wu, Xiaoxia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 26-10-2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Acids; Adenosine triphosphate; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antibacterial activity; Antibacterial agents; Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotics; Antimicrobial agents; ATP; Bacteria; cell membrane; Cell membranes; Chemical compounds; Citrus - chemistry; citrus essential oil; Citrus fruits; Citrus reticulata; Cytology; Depolarization; Essential oils; Food contamination & poisoning; Food industry; food safety; Foodborne diseases; Hydrocarbons; Listeria; Mandarins; Membrane permeability; Membrane Potentials - drug effects; Membranes; Minimum inhibitory concentration; Morphology; Nucleic acids; Oils & fats; Oils, Volatile - pharmacology; Permeability; Preservatives; Proteins; Scanning electron microscopy; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus aureus - cytology; Staphylococcus aureus - drug effects; food safety; citrus essential oil; Staphylococcus aureus; cell membrane
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules25214956

(
) creates an array of challenges for the food industry and causes foodborne diseases in people, largely due to its strong antibiotic resistance. Mandarin (
L.) essential oil (MEO) is recognized as a natural and safe preservative; however, the antibacterial effects and mechanism of MEO to combat
are not yet clearly understood. This study will examine the inhibitory effects of MEO against
and explore the antibacterial mechanism thereof from the perspective of membrane destruction. The antibacterial activity of MEO on planktonic
was examined to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images revealed the direct impacts of MEO treatment on the cell structure of
. The cell membrane was observed to be depolarized, the determination of extracellular nucleic acids, proteins and intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) confirmed the increased permeability of the cell membrane, its integrity was destroyed and the cellular constituents had leaked. These results, thus, provided conclusive evidence that MEO constrains the growth of planktonic
by affecting the permeability and integrity of its cell membrane. Our study provides a basis for the further development and utilization of MEO as a natural antibacterial agent in the food industry.