The Fungicidal Activity of Thymol against Fusarium graminearum via Inducing Lipid Peroxidation and Disrupting Ergosterol Biosynthesis

Thymol is a natural plant-derived compound that has been widely used in pharmaceutical and food preservation applications. However, the antifungal mechanism for thymol against phytopathogens remains unclear. In this study, we identified the antifungal action of thymol against Fusarium graminearum, a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2016-06, Vol.21 (6), p.770
Main Authors: Gao, Tao, Zhou, Hao, Zhou, Wei, Hu, Liangbin, Chen, Jian, Shi, Zhiqi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antifungal Agents - chemistry
Antifungal Agents - pharmacology
Disease Resistance - drug effects
Ergosterol - biosynthesis
Fungicides, Industrial
Fusarium - drug effects
Fusarium - pathogenicity
Fusarium graminearum
lipid peroxidation
Lipid Peroxidation - drug effects
Plant Diseases - microbiology
thymol
Thymol - pharmacology
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Summary:Thymol is a natural plant-derived compound that has been widely used in pharmaceutical and food preservation applications. However, the antifungal mechanism for thymol against phytopathogens remains unclear. In this study, we identified the antifungal action of thymol against Fusarium graminearum, an economically important phytopathogen showing severe resistance to traditional chemical fungicides. The sensitivity of thymol on different F. graminearum isolates was screened. The hyphal growth, as well as conidial production and germination, were quantified under thymol treatment. Histochemical, microscopic, and biochemical approaches were applied to investigate thymol-induced cell membrane damage. The average EC50 value of thymol for 59 F. graminearum isolates was 26.3 μg·mL(-1). Thymol strongly inhibited conidial production and hyphal growth. Thymol-induced cell membrane damage was indicated by propidium iodide (PI) staining, morphological observation, relative conductivity, and glycerol measurement. Thymol induced a significant increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and a remarkable decrease in ergosterol content. Taken together, thymol showed potential antifungal activity against F. graminearum due to the cell membrane damage originating from lipid peroxidation and the disturbance of ergosterol biosynthesis. These results not only shed new light on the antifungal mechanism of thymol, but also imply a promising alternative for the control of Fusarium head blight (FHB) disease caused by F. graminearum.
ISSN:1420-3049
1420-3049
DOI:10.3390/molecules21060770