Essential Oils as Antimicrobial Biofilm Agents: Cellular Mechanisms, Molecular Targets, and Therapeutic Prospects

Microbial biofilms pose a persistent and growing threat in clinical, industrial, and environmental settings, largely due to their heightened resistance to conventional antimicrobials and their ability to evade immune system responses. The structured communities within biofilms, protected by a dense extracellular polymeric matrix, exhibit altered metabolic activities, enabling the survival and chronicity of infections on medical devices, hospital surfaces, and within host tissues. Despite advances in antimicrobial strategies, the complexity and adaptability of biofilms - such as quorum sensing-driven communication and stress response modifications - remain formidable barriers, necessitating innovative and more effective interventions. While current pharmacologic approaches frequently fail to entirely eradicate or prevent biofilms, there is a critical need to deepen our understanding of alternative and complementary modalities.Essential oils, derived from a diverse array of plants, have recently emerged as promising candidates in the ongoing search for antibiofilm agents. Research has shown that these natural products and their major constituents can disrupt biofilm architecture, impact microbial cell membranes, inhibit quorum sensing, and modulate gene expression linked to virulence and persistence. Recent studies demonstrate that essential oils exhibit wide-ranging efficacy against both bacterial and fungal biofilms, with some evidence supporting their synergistic potential when combined with traditional antimicrobial drugs. However, the precise cellular pathways, primary molecular targets, and the broader spectrum of activity of tailored essential oil formulations are still not fully elucidated, highlighting an important gap in translational and mechanistic understanding.This Research Topic aims to advance the understanding of essential oils as innovative antibiofilm therapies by bringing together studies that investigate their molecular mechanisms, cellular targets, and therapeutic potential. We aim to address key questions regarding structure-activity relationships, the diversity of mechanisms involved, and the potential for synergy with conventional therapeutics, as well as to critically appraise the broader impact and translational prospects of these natural products in various infection settings.To gather further insights into the application and mechanisms of essential oils as antibiofilm agents, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:- Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the antibiofilm activity of essential oils and their constituents- Identification and validation of molecular targets and affected pathways- Structure-activity relationships among essential oil components- Synergy between essential oils and conventional antimicrobial agents- In vitro, in vivo, and applied studies assessing efficacy in clinical, environmental, or food industry contexts- Safety, toxicity, and pharmacokinetics of essential oils as therapeutic agents- Advances in delivery systems for enhancing bioavailability and activity of essential oils- Challenges and opportunities in translating essential oil-based antibiofilm therapies to clinical use Topic editors: Filomena Nazzaro, Giovanni Vigliotta, Flavio Polito Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78394/essential-oils-as-antimicrobial-biofilm-agents-cellular-mechanisms-molecular-targets-and-therapeutic-prospects