Antibacterial Activity and Mechanism of Litsea cubeba L. Essential Oil Against Acinetobacter baumannii

The main objective of this study was to investigate the antibacterial activity and mechanism of Litsea cubeba essential oil (LCEO) against Acinetobacter baumannii. The antibacterial activity was examined by a serial dilution method and growth curves. The essential oil showed strong activity against A. baumannii. The mechanism of the antibacterial action was evaluated by the integrity and permeability of the membrane, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and SDS-PAGE. The change in permeability of the cell membrane and leakage of cell intracellular biomacromolecules verified that LCEO has an obvious effect on the cell membrane. SEM showed the damaging effect of the essential oil on cells since the morphology of the treated bacteria was significantly changed. Different expression of proteins indicated the effect of the essential oil on protein synthesis. It is suggested that LCEO with both emulsifying and antibacterial activities, has a potential to serve as an inhibitor against A. baumannii.