Diallyl trisulfide (DATS) effectively induced apoptosis of postharvest disease penicillium expansum of citrus

Abstract

Garlic (Allium sativum) has long been known to have antifungal properties. The experiment demonstrated that garlic constituent diallyl trisulfide (DATS) suppressed the growth of Penicillium expansum (minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC99) value: ≤ 90 μg/ml) and promoted apoptosis via production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and disintegration of cellular ultrastructure. The morphological changes of DATS-treated hyphal cells were analyzed by using TUNEL, Annexin-V FITC/propidium iodide and oxidant stress dichlorodihydrofluorescein. DATS treatment induced chromatin condensation, DNA fragmentation, phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization and intracellular ROS elevation. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigation indicated DATS-treatment cellular ultrastructure (e.g., mitochondria) disappeared. In conclusion, DATS as one of the components of garlic was a good fungal pathogen inhibitor with many advantages, such as being common, cheap, non toxic and with high efficiency. It would be useful to further study DATS as a new antifungal agent applied in P. expansum control.