Chemical composition, antimicrobial activity, and mode of action of essential oils against Paenibacillus larvae, etiological agent of American foulbrood on Apis mellifera

PELLEGRINI, M. C.; ALONSO SALCES, ROSA MARIA; UMPIERREZ, M. L.; ROSSINI, C.; FUSELLI, S. R.

Chemistry and Biodiversity

WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH

Lugar: Weinheim; Año: 2017 vol. 14

1612-1872

This study aimed to characterize the chemical composition of Aloysia polystachia, Acantholippia seriphioides, Schinus molle, Solidago chilensis, Lippia turbinata, Minthostachys mollis, Buddleja globosa and Baccharis latifolia essential oils (EOs), and evaluate their antibacterial activities and their capacity to provoke membrane disruption in Paenibacillus larvae, the bacteria that causes the American Foulbrood disease on honey bee larvae. The relationship between the composition of the EOs and these activities on P. larvae was also analyzed. Monoterpenes were the most abundant compounds in all EOs. All EOs showed antimicrobial activity against P. larvae and disrupted the cell wall and cytoplasmic membrane of P. larvae provoking the leakage of cytoplasmic constituents (with the exception of B. latifolia EO). While, the EOs´ antimicrobial activity was correlated most strongly to the content of pulegone, carvone, (Z)-β-ocimene, δ-cadinene, camphene, terpinen-4-ol, elemol, β-pinene, β-elemene, γ-cadinene, α-terpineol and bornyl acetate; the volatiles that better explained the membrane disruption were carvone, limonene, cis-carvone oxide, pentadecane, trans-carvyl acetate, trans-carvone oxide, trans-limonene oxide, artemisia ketone, trans-carveol, thymol and γ-terpinene (positively correlated) and biciclogermacrene, δ-2-carene, verbenol, α-pinene and α-thujene (negatively correlated). The studied EOs are proposed as natural alternative means of control for the American Foulbrood disease.