Antibacterial Effect of Eugenol on and Its Mechanism.

(), which can be found in food and the environment, is a widespread food-borne pathogen that causes human diarrhea termed "shigellosis". In this study, eugenol, a natural active substance, was investigated for its antibacterial activity against . The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of eugenol against ATCC 12022 was 0.5 and 0.8 mg/mL. The growth curves and inhibitory effect in LB broth, PBS, vegetable juice, and minced pork showed that eugenol had a good activity against . Research findings indicated the superoxide dismutase activity of was inhibited after eugenol treatment, resulting in concentrations of intracellular reactive oxygen species and an increase in malondialdehyde. The flow cytometry analysis and field emission scanning electron microscopy results revealed obvious damage to cell membrane integrity and changes in the morphology of . In addition, the intracellular ATP concentration leaked from 0.5 μM to below 0.05 μM and the membrane potential showed a concentration-dependent depolarization after eugenol treatment. In summary, eugenol exerted strong antibacterial activity and has the potential to control in the food industry.