Phenolic acid compounds isolated from Zanthoxylum armatum inhibit gray mold by disrupting cellular structures, affecting energy metabolism, and inducing oxidative stress of Botrytis cinerea.

Botrytis cinerea is a phytopathogenic fungus that utilizes multiple infection pathways and is known for causing gray mold on crops. This fungal infection results in the deterioration of crop quality and substantial economic losses. ZH-5, a phenolic acid compound derived from the methanol extract of the twigs of Zanthoxylum armatum DC., exhibited significant inhibitory effects on the mycelial growth, spore germination, and germ tube elongation of B. cinerea in in vivo experiments. The EC50 of ZH-5 was determined to be 58.96 mg L-1, which surpassed the effectiveness of commonly used carbendazim and was comparable to the plant-derived pesticide eugenol. Our study focused on investigating the mechanisms underlying the antifungal activity of ZH-5. Our findings have demonstrated that ZH-5 has the ability to disrupt the integrity of cellular structures, including mitochondria. This disruption affects energy metabolism and induces oxidative stress, ultimately ZH-5 might be interfere with cellular activity or inhibit growth. In summary, we reported that ZH-5 demonstrated efficacy as a plant-derived compound against B. cinerea, making it a potentially valuable environmentally-friendly chemical agent for the management of gray mold.