Antibacterial Activity and Mechanism of Coenzyme Q Against .

Coenzyme Q (CoQ) is a natural compound found in , which has a variety of biological activities. Here, the antibacterial activity and possible antibacterial mechanism of CoQ against were investigated. The antibacterial effect was evaluated by determining minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values, and by assessing bacterial survival and the effect on the growth of after CoQ treatment in Luria-Bertani (LB) broth. To reveal the antibacterial mechanism of CoQ, changes in intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration, membrane potential, and bacterial protein content, as well as effects on cell morphology and membrane integrity, were investigated. Both the MICs and MBCs of CoQ against were 0.1 mg/mL. After treatment of (6.5 log colony-forming units/mL) with 0.1 mg/mL of CoQ in LB broth for 3 h, the number of viable cells dropped below the detection limit. In addition, CoQ treatment resulted in the reduction in intracellular ATP concentration, cell membrane hyperpolarization, decreased bacterial protein concentrations, and damage to cell membrane integrity and cellular morphology. These results indicated that CoQ has effective antibacterial activity against , suggesting potential applications in food industry safety.