Antimicrobial activity and mechanisms of Salvia sclarea essential oil

Abstract

BackgroundNowadays, essential oils are recognized as safe substances and can be used as antibacterial additives. Salvia sclarea is one of the most important aromatic plants cultivated world-wide as a source of essential oils. In addition to being flavoring foods, Salvia sclarea essential oil can also act as antimicrobials and preservatives against food spoilage. Understanding more about the antibacterial performance and possible mechanism of Salvia sclarea essential oil will be helpful for its application in the future. But so far few related researches have been reported.ResultsIn our study, Salvia sclarea oil showed obvious antibacterial activity against all tested bacterial strains. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericide concentration (MBC) of seven pathogens were 0.05 and 0.1 % respectively. In addition, Salvia sclarea oil also exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and meats. After treated with Salvia sclarea oil, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images can clearly see the damage of cell membrane; the intracellular ATP concentrations of E. coli and S. aureus reduced 98.27 and 69.61 % respectively, compared to the control groups; the nuclear DNA content of E. coli and S. aureus was significantly reduced to 48.32 and 50.77 % respectively. In addition, there was massive leakage of cellular material when E. coli and S. aureus were exposed to Salvia sclarea oil.Conclusions Salvia sclarea essential oil damaged the cell membrane and changed the cell membrane permeability, leading to the release of some cytoplasm such as macromolecular substances, ATP and DNA. In general, the antimicrobial action of Salvia sclarea essential oil is not only attributable to a unique pathway, but also involves a series of events both on the cell surface and within the cytoplasm. Therefore, more experiments need to be done to fully understand the antimicrobial mechanism of Salvia sclarea essential oil.

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“…Cui et al . () reported that Salvia sclarea EO, which contain 74·56% linalyl acetate and 13·26% linalool, decreased E. coli DNA by 50·77%. Regarding EO components, carvacrol and 1,8‐cineole; or combinations of 1,8‐cineole‐linalool or 1,8‐cineole‐ α ‐terpineol led to alteration of the cell wall structure and to the release of constituents including DNA (de Sousa et al .…”

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“…Moreover, the zones of inhibition for P. aeruginosa and E. coli were 20 and 25 mm, respectively [126]. A study by Cui et al [69] has shown that Salvia sclarea oil showed a considerable inhibitory potential against the growth of E. coli, S. aureus, Bacillus pumilus, K. pneumoniae, B. subtilis, S. typhimurium, and P. aeruginosa with MIC and MBC of 0.05 and 0.1%, respectively. Ahmadi et al [77] reported the antibacterial properties of Thymus kotschyanus essential oil against B. cereus , E. coli, S. aureus , and S. epidermidis.…”

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“…Furthermore, MIC /2 concentration of T. daenensis and O. vulgare EOs caused a significant downregulation of efflux pump gene (pmrA) in seven of eight strains. A further confirmation of the potential plural mode of action of the EO come from a study on Salvia sclarea EO on seven pathogens bacterial strains: it seems that the antimicrobial way of action involves a series of events both on the cell surface and within the cytoplasm . Many concerns are directed to bacterial species capable of forming biofilms, an aggravating factor for the difficult eradication of the bacterial colonization in surfaces (especially in the hospitals and food industries) and human organs (lung for example).…”

“…A further confirmation of the potential plural mode of action of the EO come from a study on Salvia sclarea EO on seven pathogens bacterial strains: it seems that the antimicrobial way of action involves a series of events both on the cell surface and within the cytoplasm. [288] Many concerns are directed to bacterial species capable of forming biofilms, an aggravating factor for the difficult eradication of the bacterial colonization in surfaces (especially in the hospitals and food industries) and human organs (lung for example). Prevention of biofilm formation and anti pre-formed biofilm activity of oregano essential oils was evaluated mainly against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, [289,290] with the result that the tested EOs are active in preventing biofilm formation and are effective agents to remove young and mature S. aureus biofilms on stainless steel surfaces.…”