Evaluation of Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Activities of Plant Essential Oils Against Pathogenic Microorganisms
A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant-Derived Antibiotics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 682
Special Issue Editors
Interests: antibacterial; essential oil; natural products; terpenoids
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: natural product chemistry; bioactive natural products; analysis of essential oils; drug discovery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Plant essential oils (EOs) are attracting increasing scientific interest as promising sources of new antimicrobial agents, particularly amid rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the limited effectiveness of traditional antibiotics. Composed of complex mixtures of terpenes, phenolics, aldehydes, and other bioactive volatile molecules, essential oils possess broad-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal activities, as well as the ability to modulate virulence factors of pathogenic microorganisms. One of the most crucial properties of EOs is their capacity to disrupt microbial cell membranes, interfere with most sensing pathways, and inhibit biofilm formation; these mechanisms collectively reduce the survival, adhesion, and persistence of microbial organisms on biotic and abiotic surfaces. Since biofilms increase the tolerance of pathogens to antibiotics and environmental stress factors, the investigation of EO-based antibiofilm strategies has become a critical area of research in food safety, medicine, agriculture, and environmental health.
Numerous studies over the past few years have shown that essential oils derived from aromatic and medicinal plants exhibit significant inhibitory activity against clinically important pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Candida species, and various multidrug-resistant strains. Advances in chromatographic profiling, in vitro experiments, and in silico modeling have facilitated the identification of key antimicrobial components responsible for these activities, such as thymol, carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, linalool, and α-pinene. In addition to their direct antimicrobial potential, essential oils also exhibit synergistic interactions with antibiotics, offering valuable opportunities to improve therapeutic outcomes and reduce the required drug doses.
Despite this growing evidence, many aspects of the antibacterial and antibiofilm effects of essential oils remain understudied. Differences in chemical composition, driven by factors such as plant genetics, environmental conditions, extraction methods, and storage conditions, can significantly affect biological activity. Furthermore, standardized methodologies for evaluating antibiofilm activity remain limited, making it difficult to compare data across studies. This Special Issue aims to bring together recent developments, innovative methods, and interdisciplinary perspectives on the antibacterial and antibiofilm activities of plant essential oils. We welcome research articles, reviews, and short communications that deepen understanding of the mechanisms, applications, and future potential of essential oils in combating pathogenic microorganisms and that support the development of natural, sustainable antimicrobial strategies.
Dr. Gokhan Zengin
Prof. Dr. Omayma A. Eldahshan
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antibiotics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- antimicrobial
- antibiofilm
- essential oils
- volatile compounds
- terpenoids
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