艾草精油对大肠杆菌的抑菌作用及其机制研究

Study on the Antibacterial Effect and Mechanism of Artemisia argyi Essential Oil against Escherichia coli

摘要: 艾草(Artemisia argyi)是我国广泛分布的一种传统中草药，有温经止血、祛湿止痒等功效。艾草精油是艾草的主要活性成分之一，具有抗菌、抗炎、抗肿瘤等价值。为明确艾草精油对大肠杆菌的抑菌作用及机制，本研究采用琼脂扩散法系统评价艾草精油的体外抑菌活性，并通过趋化实验、生物膜形成能力和细胞膜完整性测定等实验手段解析其抑菌机制。结果表明，艾草精油对大肠杆菌具备高效抑菌活性。趋化实验证实艾草精油可干扰大肠杆菌化学趋向性，降低其环境适应与定植能力。生物膜形成能力及内外膜通透性测定表明艾草精油通过抑制大肠杆菌的生物膜形成以及影响大肠杆菌代谢的方式抑制其生长。

Abstract: Artemisia argyi is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine widely distributed in China, known for its effects such as warming the meridians to stop bleeding and expelling dampness to relieve itching. Studies have demonstrated that the essential oil of A. argyi are the primary carriers of its pharmacological activities, and exert antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor effects. To clarify the antibacterial activity and its underlying mechanism of A. argyi essential oil against E. coli, this study systematically evaluated the in vitro antibacterial activity of the essential oil using the agar diffusion method, and elucidated the antibacterial mechanism by means of experimental approaches such as chemotaxis assay and biofilm formation capacity determination. The results showed that A. argyi essential oil has high-efficiency antibacterial activity against E. coli. The chemotaxis assay confirmed that the essential oil could interfere with the chemotaxis of E. coli, thus impairing its ability to adapt to the environment and colonize. Determination of biofilm formation capacity and inner-outer membrane permeability indicated that A. argyi essential oil inhibits the growth of E. coli by suppressing its biofilm formation and interfering with its metabolic processes.