Influence of myoglobin on the antibacterial activity of carvacrol and the binding mechanism between the two compounds

Abstract

AbstractBACKGROUNDMyoglobin (MB), a pigmentation protein, can adversely affect the antibacterial activity of carvacrol (CAR) and weaken its bacteriostasis effect. This study aimed to clarify the influence of MB on the antibacterial activity of CAR and ascertain the mechanism involved in the observed influence, especially the interaction between the two compounds.RESULTSMicrobiological analysis indicated that the presence of MB significantly suppressed the antibacterial activity of CAR against Listeria monocytogenes. Ultraviolet–visible spectrometry and fluorescence spectroscopic analysis confirmed the interaction between CAR and MB. The stoichiometric number was determined as ~0.7 via double logarithmic Stern–Volmer equation analysis, while thermodynamic analysis showed that the conjugation of the two compounds occurred as an exothermal reaction (ΔH° = −32.3 ± 11.4 kJ mol−1 and ΔS° = −75 J mol−1 K−1). Circular dichroism, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy showed hydrogen bonding in the carvacrol–myoglobin complex (CAR‐MB). Molecular docking analysis confirmed that amino acid residues, including GLY80 and HIS82, were most likely to form hydrogen bonds with CAR, while hydrogen bonds represented the main driving force for CAR‐MB formation.CONCLUSIONCAR antibacterial activity was significantly inhibited by the presence of MB in the environment due to the notable reduction in the effective concentration of CAR caused by CAR‐MB formation. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.