Antibacterial activity and compositional analysis of Acer truncatum bunge leaf extract against Staphylococcus aureus

<i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> is a zoonotic pathogen that can cause various diseases in both humans and animals. This experiment evaluates the antibacterial activity of extracts from <i>Acer truncatum</i> leaves against <i>S. aureus</i>, including the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), growth curve, and cell membrane integrity assessment, alongside the identification of the extract components by LC-MS. Results demonstrated that the MIC of the <i>n</i>-butanol extract from the ethanol extract of <i>Acer truncatum</i> leaves against <i>S. aureus</i> was 3.125 mg/ml, with a minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 6.25 mg/ml. Over 16 h, the extracts at concentrations of 0.25 MIC, 0.5 MIC, and 1 MIC effectively inhibited <i>S. aureus</i> growth. The fluorescence staining revealed that the extracts at different concentrations compromised the structural integrity of the cell membrane. The LC-MS analysis identified the principal constituents of the extract as betaine (27.189%), 3,4-dihydroxymandelic acid (16.112%), quercitrin (14.768%), chlorogenic acid (8.778%) and neochlorogenic acid (4.452%). The study indicated that <i>Acer truncatum</i> leaf extract has good potential for application in natural antibacterial drugs.