Murrayone: A Promising New Fungicide Destroying the Oxidative Homeostasis and Cell Membrane Integrity of Botrytis cinerea

Botrytis cinerea is a widely destructive plant pathogen, causing substantial economic losses worldwide. Our previous research showed that the natural product Murrayone had a potent antifungal effect on B. cinerea. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of antifungal activity of Murrayone against B. cinerea. Treatment with Murrayone caused severe cellular morphological damage, significantly inhibited sporulation and spore germination, reduced disease severity in blueberry fruits, and demonstrated its safety in seed germination assays. Transcriptome analysis revealed that its mechanism involves the disruption of oxidative homeostasis and damage to the cell membrane. The multitarget and multipathway antifungal effects of Murrayone were preliminarily verified by assessing reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, propidium iodide (PI) staining, and mycelial dry weight. This study demonstrates the potential of Murrayone as an antifungal agent and elucidates its mode of action, providing a theoretical foundation for further exploration of Murrayone as a sustainable antifungal strategy.