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. 2018 Aug 23;23(9):2125.
doi: 10.3390/molecules23092125.

Anti-Quorum Sensing Activity of 12 Essential Oils on chromobacterium violaceum and Specific Action of cis-cis-p-Menthenolide from Corsican Mentha suaveolens ssp. Insularis

Jean-Pierre Poli  1 , Elodie Guinoiseau  2 , Dominique de Rocca Serra  3 , Sylvain Sutour  4 , Mathieu Paoli  5 , Félix Tomi  6 , Yann Quilichini  7 , Liliane Berti  8 , Vannina Lorenzi  9
Affiliations

Anti-Quorum Sensing Activity of 12 Essential Oils on chromobacterium violaceum and Specific Action of cis-cis-p-Menthenolide from Corsican Mentha suaveolens ssp. Insularis

Jean-Pierre Poli et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Quorum sensing (QS) is a bacterial communication mechanism used to express various survival or virulence traits leading to enhanced resistance. Chromobacterium violaceum is a commonly used strain that highlights anti-QS action of bioactive substances. Here, we wanted to see if 12 selected essential oils (EO) could exert anti-QS activity. We measured the sublethal minimal QS inhibitory concentration (MQSIC) by assessing violacein production of C. violaceum along with bacterial growth. To confirm the QS disruption, we also proceed to surface bacterial observations using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We showed that cis-cis-p-menthenolide extracted and isolated from a plant endemic to occidental Mediterranean Sea islands, Mentha suaveolens ssp. insularis, acts as an inhibitor of violacein production and biofilm formation. Measured MQSIC was much lower than the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC): 0.10 mg·mL-1 vs. 3.00 mg·mL-1. Moreover, disturbance of QS-related traits was confirmed by the degradation of C. violaceum biofilm matrix. There is a clear structure⁻activity relationship between cis-cis-p-menthenolide and anti-QS activity. Indeed, its isomer molecule (mintlactone) exerts a poor anti-QS action. These results indicate that inhibition of violacein production and biofilm formation by cis-cis-p-menthenolide might be related to a disruption in the QS mechanism.

Keywords: Chromobacterium violaceum; biofilms; cis-cis-p-menthenolide; essential oils; quorum sensing.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
SEM images of C. violaceum growth in normal conditions (a,b), in the presence of M. suaveolens ssp. insularis at MIQSC (c,d), cis-cis-p-menthenolide at MIQSC (e,f) and mintlactone at MIQSC (g,h). White arrows in (d,f): biofilm matrix degradation; black arrows in (h): zones without bacterial development. Scale 5 µm.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of increasing molecule concentrations on Chromobacterium violaceum growth (formula image) and violacein production (formula image). The example of cis-cis-p-menthenolide was used to show how MIC (formula image) and MQSIC (formula image) were determined.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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