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Published on: April 16, 2018
Photodynamic Inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus Using Aloe-emodin as Photosensitizer
Jiali Wu1, Yaokun Pang1, Dan Liu1
1Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Biorefinery, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, Guangdong, China.
Abstract:
Aloe-emodin (AE) is a natural compound with photodynamic properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of AE-mediated photodynamic inactivation (PDI) on Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The bacteriostatic efficiency under different photodynamic conditions and photosensitizing mechanism was studied in detail. The results showed that AE-mediated PDI exhibited a typical concentration and time-dependent characteristics. In terms of bactericidal mechanism, disruption of membrane integrity and increase of cell membrane permeability was observed. Type II reaction was assumed as the main photochemical reaction involved in AE-mediated PDI as evidenced by the action of different ROS quenching agents. Furthermore, AE-mediated PDI decreased the bacterial survival in freshly squeezed apple juice and maintained its quality. The combination of blue light and AE enlarged the application of AE as an effective natural photosensitizer suitable for a food system.

