Inhibitory Activity of Plant Essential Oils against 1-Deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase.

The rate-limiting enzyme of the 2-methyl-d-erythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) terpenoid biosynthetic pathway, 1-deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR), provides the perfect target for screening new antibacterial substances. In this study, we tested the DXR inhibitory effect of 35 plant essential oils (EOs), which have long been recognized for their antimicrobial properties. The results show that the EOs of (ZB), (ST), (TQ), (OV), and (EC) displayed weak to medium inhibitory activity against DXR, with IC values of 78 μg/mL, 65 μg/mL, 59 μg/mL, 48 μg/mL, and 37 μg/mL, respectively.

Inhibition of green tea and the catechins against 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase, the key enzyme of the MEP terpenoid biosynthetic pathway.

1-Deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR) is the first committed enzyme in the MEP terpenoid biosynthetic pathway and also a validated antimicrobial target. Green tea which is rich in polyphenolic components such as the catechins, possesses a plenty of pharmacological activities, in particular an antibacterial effect. To uncover the antibacterial mechanism of green tea and to seek new DXR inhibitors from natural sources, the DXR inhibitory activity of green tea and its main antimicrobial catechins were investigated in this study.