Antibacterial Activity and Action Mechanism of the Echinops ritro L. Essential Oil Against Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria

A variety of Essential oils (EOs) exhibited effective antibacterial activity to prevent the growth of foodborne bacteria. However, the antibacterial activity of the EO from Echinops ritro L is almost unknown. Here, the EO was first exacted from Echinops ritro L. and was evaluated for its antibacterial activity. GC-MS analysis firstly confirmed the major components of Echinops ritro L. EO. Then the EO exerted potent inhibitory effects against E. coli, S. aureus, and Salmonella Enteritidis with MIC values of 2.5,0.15, and 0.6 mg/ml; also, the MBC values were 7.5,1.0, and 3.0 mg/ml, indicating that the EO possessed remarkable antibacterial and bactericidal properties. Moreover, observations of changes to the cell microstructure, biofilm inhibition, cell viability assay, and whole-cell proteins methods provided a further means to study the functional mechanism, showing remarkable EO-specific antibiofilm and disruption of the bacterial membrane, which provides a strategy for designing new antibacterial agents.