Phytochemical constituents and antibacterial activity of Citrus lemon leaves

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundThe study investigated the phytochemical constituents and antibacterial activity ofCitrus lemonvolatile oil extracted from pruning leaves collected from a private farm at Nobariya district against Gram-positive "Staphylococcus aureusNRRL B-313 andBacillus cereusNRC" and Gram-negative "Pseudomonas aeruginosaNRC B-32 andEscherichia coliNRC B-3703".ResultsThe oil obtained from powdered driedC. lemonleaves was analyzed by GC–MS to identify their constituents. The analysis revealed the presence of sabinene, carene, limonene, and β-ocimene. The leaves volatile oil showed a remarkable inhibition againstS. aureus(32 ± 0.01 mm) andP. aeruginosa(49 ± 0.01 mm) and it had a strong effect on the DNA, RNA, lipids, and protein biosynthesis in cells ofS. aureusand had a strong effect on the lipids biosynthesis in cells ofP. aeruginosa.ConclusionThe results in this study suggested thatC. lemonleaves could be beneficial in developing a novel antibiotic and studied its mode of action on the pathogenic microorganism’s cells.