Phytochemical constituents and antibacterial activity of Citrus lemon leaves

Abstract

Abstract Background The study investigated the phytochemical constituents and antibacterial activity of Citrus lemon volatile oil extracted from pruning leaves collected from a private farm at Nobariya district against Gram-positive "Staphylococcus aureus NRRL B-313 and Bacillus cereus NRC" and Gram-negative "Pseudomonas aeruginosa NRC B-32 and Escherichia coli NRC B-3703". Results The oil obtained from powdered dried C. lemon leaves 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 against S. aureus (32 ± 0.01 mm) and P. aeruginosa (49 ± 0.01 mm) and it had a strong effect on the DNA, RNA, lipids, and protein biosynthesis in cells of S. aureus and had a strong effect on the lipids biosynthesis in cells of P. aeruginosa. Conclusion The results in this study suggested that C. lemon leaves could be beneficial in developing a novel antibiotic and studied its mode of action on the pathogenic microorganism’s cells.

Keywords

• Citrus lemon
• GC–MS
• Antibacterial
• MIC
• Mode of action