Antifungal activity and mechanism of cinnamon essential oil loaded into mesoporous silica nanoparticles

Cinnamon essential oil-mesoporous silica nanoparticles (CEO-MSNPs)/potato starch films have better antifungal activity against molds commonly found in post-harvest white mushrooms. The antifungal effects of CEO-MSNPs against Mucor sp. FJ09 species and Mucor circinelloides CNRMA 03.0371 were investigated. The antifungal mechanisms of CEO-MSNPs against molds were elucidated. Results showed that after adding CEO-MSNPs at the minimum inhibitory concentration level, there were obvious changes in membrane permeability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) content, cell component leakage, cell component leakage, soluble sugar, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. The scanning electron microscope assay showed that CEO-MSNPs effectively destroyed the mycelial morphology of Mucor sp. FJ09 species and Mucor circinelloides CNRMA 03.0371, and interfered with their normal growth. Notably, CEO-MSNPs could be in the up-regulation of nox1 and nox2 genes of Mucor sp. FJ09 species and Mucor circinelloides CNRMA 03.0371 to generate a large number of reactive oxygen species, thereby inhibiting spore germination and growth. The results of this study could provide a reference for screening key targets of drug resistance of molds in post-harvest white mushrooms.