Antibacterial Activity and Kinetics of Litsea cubeba Oil on Escherichia coli

Abstract

Litsea cubeba oil is extracted from the fresh fruits of Litsea cubeba by distillation. In this study, its chemical constituents, antibacterial activity, kinetics and effects against Escherichia coli were studied. Its minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were both 0.125% (v/v) by toxic food method. Moreover, the antibacterial kinetic curves indicated 0.0625% (v/v) of litsea cubeba oil was able to prolong the growth lag phase of E. coli cells to approximate 12 hours while 0.125% (v/v) of litsea cubeba oil was able to kill the cells completely. Furthermore, transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation showed most E. coli cells treated with 0.125% (v/v) of litsea cubeba oil were killed or destroyed severely within 2 hours. The litsea cubeba oil might penetrate and destroy the outer and inner membrane of E. coli cells. Thus many holes and gaps were observed on the damaged cells, which led to their death eventually. The antibacterial effects of litsea cubeba oil mainly attributed to the presence of aldehydes, which accounted for approximately 70% in its whole components analyzed by GC/MS. Based on the antimicrobial properties, litsea cubeba oil would have a broad application in the antimicrobial industry.

Interaction Effects of Litsea Cubeba Essential Oil and Antibiotics on Antibacterial Activity Against Pathogenic Bacteria in Aquaculture

“…The same antibacterial activities (MIC = 1.25 -10 mg/mL) were reported for L. cubeba EO rich in citral (83.9 %) from India [11]. Recent observations by transmission electron microscopy showed holes and gaps in the cell wall of E. coli and that the bacteria were killed or destroyed within 2 h when treated with 0.125 % v/v of L. cubeba [12].…”

Litsea cubeba leaf essential oil from Vietnam: chemical diversity and its impacts on antibacterial activity

“…; Li et al . ). For instance, neral was found to be the main compound in fruits and roots; β ‐terpinene and 1,8‐cineole in flowers, β ‐phellandrene and terpinen‐4‐ol in stems (Wang and Liu ) and the major compound found in leaves was either 1,8‐cineole, sabinene, linalool or neral (Ho et al .…”

“…Its essential oil (EO) displayed antibacterial activity . However, different chemotypes of L. cubeba EOs have been reported depending on the plant part and the origin (Ho et al 2010;Saikia et al 2013;Li et al 2014b). For instance, neral was found to be the main compound in fruits and roots; b-terpinene and 1,8-cineole in flowers, b-phellandrene and terpinen-4-ol in stems and the major compound found in leaves was either 1,8-cineole, sabinene, linalool or neral (Ho et al 2010;Son et al 2014).…”

Antibacterial activity ofLitsea cubeba(Lauraceae, May Chang) and its effects on the biological response of common carpCyprinus carpiochallenged withAeromonas hydrophila

“…; Li et al . ). The major compound found in leaf essential oils was either 1,8‐cineole, sabinene, linalool or neral with a broad chemical variability among sampled regions (Bighelli et al .…”

“…It has been used in TCM for headache, fatigue, muscle pain and depression; and fresh leaves were mashed and used for skin problems, such as sore and furuncles (Bhuinya et al 2010;Chen et al 2013). A large variety of chemotypes of L. cubeba essential oils (EOs) has been described for different parts of the plant (root, stem, leaves, fruit, flowers) in different countries such as China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Tibet (Yang et al 2010;Si et al 2012;Li et al 2014). The major compound found in leaf essential oils was either 1,8-cineole, sabinene, linalool or neral with a broad chemical variability among sampled regions (Bighelli et al 2005;Wang and Liu 2010;Son et al 2014).…”