Antimicrobial Activity of Lemongrass Essential Oil (Cymbopogon flexuosus) and Its Active Component Citral Against Dual-Species Biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus and Candida Species

Compared to mono-species biofilm, biofilms formed by cross-kingdom pathogens are more refractory to conventional antibiotics, thus complicating clinical treatment and causing significant morbidity. Lemongrass essential oil and its bioactive component citral were previously demonstrated to possess st...

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Published in:Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology Vol. 10; p. 603858
Main Authors: Gao, Shanjun, Liu, Guangzhi, Li, Jianguo, Chen, Jing, Li, Lina, Li, Zhen, Zhang, Xiulei, Zhang, Shoumin, Thorne, Rick Francis, Zhang, Shuzhen
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media SA 22.12.2020
Frontiers Media S.A
Subjects:
Adhesins
Antibiotics
Antimicrobial activity
Antimicrobial agents
Biofilms
Biomass
Candida
Candida albicans
Candida tropicalis
Carbohydrates
Cell viability
Cellular and Infection Microbiology
Citral
Cymbopogon flexuosus
dual-species biofilms
Essential oils
Investigations
lemongrass essential oil
Microorganisms
Morbidity
Pathogens
Peptidoglycans
Quorum sensing
Species
Staphylococcus aureus
Staphylococcus infections
United Kingdom > UK
England
United States > US
Candida albicans
lemongrass essential oil
Candida tropicalis
citral
Staphylococcus aureus
dual-species biofilms
ISSN:2235-2988, 2235-2988
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Summary:Compared to mono-species biofilm, biofilms formed by cross-kingdom pathogens are more refractory to conventional antibiotics, thus complicating clinical treatment and causing significant morbidity. Lemongrass essential oil and its bioactive component citral were previously demonstrated to possess strong antimicrobial efficacy against pathogenic bacteria and fungi. However, their effects on polymicrobial biofilms remain to be determined. In this study, the efficacy of lemongrass ( Cymbopogon flexuosus ) essential oil and its bioactive part citral against dual-species biofilms formed by Staphylococcus aureus and Candida species was evaluated in vitro . Biofilm staining and viability test showed both lemongrass essential oil and citral were able to reduce biofilm biomass and cell viability of each species in the biofilm. Microscopic examinations showed these agents interfered with adhesive characteristics of each species and disrupted biofilm matrix through counteracting nucleic acids, proteins and carbohydrates in the biofilm. Moreover, transcriptional analyses indicated citral downregulated hyphal adhesins and virulent factors of Candida albicans , while also reducing expression of genes involved in quorum sensing, peptidoglycan and fatty acids biosynthesis of S. aureus . Taken together, our results demonstrate the potential of lemongrass essential oil and citral as promising agents against polymicrobial biofilms as well as the underlying mechanisms of their activity in this setting.
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Edited by: Regina Helena Pires, University of Franca, Brazil
Reviewed by: Jill R. Blankenship, University of Nebraska Omaha, United States; Shunmugiah Karutha Pandian, Alagappa University, India
This article was submitted to Fungal Pathogenesis, a section of the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
ISSN:2235-2988
2235-2988
DOI:10.3389/fcimb.2020.603858