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Quinic acid (QA) and shikimic acid (SA), two kinds of natural organic acids, have been reported to exhibit potent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. In this study, the effects of QA and SA on the cellular functions of S. aureus were investigated by measuring the intracellular pH, intracellular and extracellular ATP concentrations, succinate dehydrogenase activity, DNA content, and interactions between SA and QA with S. aureus DNA. Studies of the cellular functions demonstrated that QA could significantly decrease the intracellular pH, whereas SA had no effect on intracellular pH. QA and SA reduced succinate dehydrogenase activity and caused a significant decrease in intracellular ATP concentration but no proportional increase in extracellular ATP. Moreover, QA and SA both could remarkably reduce the DNA content of S. aureus and directly interact with genomic DNA. The results suggested that the effects of QA and SA on cellular functions were distinguishable, although the chemical structures of these two compounds were similar. In conclusion, the results of the present research suggested that SA and QA could be used as antibacterial agents in food preservation.

Forchlorfenuron (FCF) is a synthetic plant cytokine-like growth regulator that is massively used in agriculture to increase fruit size and weight. There is an insufficiency of published data on the safety profile of FCF, especially as it is involved in ovarian function. In our study, a chronic toxicity study on FCF was conducted and designed by feeding at dosage levels of 0, 0.6, and 60 mg/kg body weight in Sprague–Dawley rats for 180 days. During the 180 day FCF administration, no biologically relevant changes were observed in the body weight, clinical signs, food consumption, organ weight, hematology, and clinical biochemistry of the tested animals. However, macroscopic and microscopic evaluations revealed the presence of severe hydrometra in the uterus and pathological changes in the ovaries. In addition, it was found that FCF inhibited the proliferation of granulosa cells (GCs) and H295R cells, as well as downregulated the expression of CYP17A1 and CYP19A1 in estradiol and progesterone production, resulting in decreased steroidogenesis in GCs and H295R cells. Taken together, our findings suggest that FCF has potential adverse effects on the ovaries and on steroidogenesis.

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