Essential Oils for Biofilm Control: Mechanisms, Synergies, and Translational Challenges in the Era of Antimicrobial Resistance
Biofilms, structured microbial consortia embedded in self-produced extracellular matrices, pose significant challenges across the medical, industrial, and environmental sectors due to their resistance to antimicrobial therapies and ability to evade the immune system. Their resilience is driven by mu...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Antibiotics |
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| author | Abdelaziz Touati Assia Mairi Nasir Adam Ibrahim Takfarinas Idres |
| author_facet | Abdelaziz Touati Assia Mairi Nasir Adam Ibrahim Takfarinas Idres |
| author_sort | Abdelaziz Touati |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Biofilms, structured microbial consortia embedded in self-produced extracellular matrices, pose significant challenges across the medical, industrial, and environmental sectors due to their resistance to antimicrobial therapies and ability to evade the immune system. Their resilience is driven by multifaceted mechanisms, including matrix-mediated drug sequestration, metabolic dormancy, and quorum sensing (QS)-regulated virulence, which collectively sustain persistent infections and contribute to the amplification of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This review critically examines the potential of plant-derived essential oils (EOs) as innovative agents for biofilm control. EOs exhibit broad-spectrum antibiofilm activity through multi-target mechanisms, including disrupting initial microbial adhesion, degrading extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs), suppressing QS pathways, and compromising membrane integrity. Their ability to act synergistically with conventional antimicrobials at sub-inhibitory concentrations enhances therapeutic efficacy while reducing the selection pressure for resistance. Despite their potential, EO applications face technical challenges, such as compositional variability due to botanical sources, formulation stability issues, and difficulties in standardization for large-scale production. Clinical translation is further complicated by biofilm stage- and strain-dependent efficacy, insufficient in vivo validation of therapeutic outcomes, and potential cytotoxicity at higher doses. These limitations underscore the need for optimized delivery systems, such as nanoencapsulation, to enhance bioavailability and mitigate adverse effects. Future strategies should include combinatorial approaches with antibiotics or EPS-degrading enzymes, advanced formulation technologies, and standardized protocols to bridge laboratory findings to clinical practice. By addressing these challenges, EOs hold transformative potential to mitigate biofilm-associated AMR, offering sustainable, multi-target alternatives for infection management and biofilm prevention in diverse contexts. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-60f093bc76b04e66ab18cfe9e127a829 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2079-6382 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Antibiotics |
| spelling | doaj-art-60f093bc76b04e66ab18cfe9e127a8292025-08-20T01:56:20ZengMDPI AGAntibiotics2079-63822025-05-0114550310.3390/antibiotics14050503Essential Oils for Biofilm Control: Mechanisms, Synergies, and Translational Challenges in the Era of Antimicrobial ResistanceAbdelaziz Touati0Assia Mairi1Nasir Adam Ibrahim2Takfarinas Idres3Laboratoire d’Ecologie Microbienne, Université de Bejaia, FSNV, Bejaia 06000, AlgeriaLaboratoire d’Ecologie Microbienne, Université de Bejaia, FSNV, Bejaia 06000, AlgeriaDepartment of Biology, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh 13318, Saudi ArabiaLaboratory for Livestock Animal Production and Health Research, Rabie Bouchama National Veterinary School of Algiers, Issad ABBAS Street, BP 161 Oued Smar, Algiers 16059, AlgeriaBiofilms, structured microbial consortia embedded in self-produced extracellular matrices, pose significant challenges across the medical, industrial, and environmental sectors due to their resistance to antimicrobial therapies and ability to evade the immune system. Their resilience is driven by multifaceted mechanisms, including matrix-mediated drug sequestration, metabolic dormancy, and quorum sensing (QS)-regulated virulence, which collectively sustain persistent infections and contribute to the amplification of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This review critically examines the potential of plant-derived essential oils (EOs) as innovative agents for biofilm control. EOs exhibit broad-spectrum antibiofilm activity through multi-target mechanisms, including disrupting initial microbial adhesion, degrading extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs), suppressing QS pathways, and compromising membrane integrity. Their ability to act synergistically with conventional antimicrobials at sub-inhibitory concentrations enhances therapeutic efficacy while reducing the selection pressure for resistance. Despite their potential, EO applications face technical challenges, such as compositional variability due to botanical sources, formulation stability issues, and difficulties in standardization for large-scale production. Clinical translation is further complicated by biofilm stage- and strain-dependent efficacy, insufficient in vivo validation of therapeutic outcomes, and potential cytotoxicity at higher doses. These limitations underscore the need for optimized delivery systems, such as nanoencapsulation, to enhance bioavailability and mitigate adverse effects. Future strategies should include combinatorial approaches with antibiotics or EPS-degrading enzymes, advanced formulation technologies, and standardized protocols to bridge laboratory findings to clinical practice. By addressing these challenges, EOs hold transformative potential to mitigate biofilm-associated AMR, offering sustainable, multi-target alternatives for infection management and biofilm prevention in diverse contexts.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/14/5/503biofilmsessential oilsantimicrobial resistancequorum sensingextracellular matrixsynergistic therapy |
| spellingShingle | Abdelaziz Touati Assia Mairi Nasir Adam Ibrahim Takfarinas Idres Essential Oils for Biofilm Control: Mechanisms, Synergies, and Translational Challenges in the Era of Antimicrobial Resistance Antibiotics biofilms essential oils antimicrobial resistance quorum sensing extracellular matrix synergistic therapy |
| title | Essential Oils for Biofilm Control: Mechanisms, Synergies, and Translational Challenges in the Era of Antimicrobial Resistance |
| title_full | Essential Oils for Biofilm Control: Mechanisms, Synergies, and Translational Challenges in the Era of Antimicrobial Resistance |
| title_fullStr | Essential Oils for Biofilm Control: Mechanisms, Synergies, and Translational Challenges in the Era of Antimicrobial Resistance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Essential Oils for Biofilm Control: Mechanisms, Synergies, and Translational Challenges in the Era of Antimicrobial Resistance |
| title_short | Essential Oils for Biofilm Control: Mechanisms, Synergies, and Translational Challenges in the Era of Antimicrobial Resistance |
| title_sort | essential oils for biofilm control mechanisms synergies and translational challenges in the era of antimicrobial resistance |
| topic | biofilms essential oils antimicrobial resistance quorum sensing extracellular matrix synergistic therapy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/14/5/503 |
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