Mechanisms of N-lauroyl arginate ethyl ester against and subsp. .

The purpose of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial activity and mechanisms of N-lauroyl arginate ethyl ester (LAE) against and subsp. . The minim inhibitory concentrations of LAE against and were found to be 400 and 25 μg/ml, respectively. Loss of intracellular protein and nucleic acid increased significantly, and membrane permeability reached 76.28, 54.29 and 85.20%, respectively, when 400 μg/ml of LAE was applied to the hyphae and spores of and to . Flow cytometry showed that LAE reduced the membrane potential, and the depolarization ratios of and were 98.19 and 97.25% (< 0.05), respectively. Transmission electron microscopy photos revealed that LAE caused a rough surface, irregular cellular organelles, protoplast shrinkage, intracytoplasmic coagulation and empty cavities in all three cell types. These results showed that LAE had notable ability to damage the structure of fungal and bacterial cells, making it a possible alternative chemical for use in the preservation of fruits and vegetables.