Antibiofilm and in silico evaluation of clove oil components against multidrug-resistant opportunistic bacteria isolated from the oral cavity | ||
| Egyptian Journal of Chemistry | ||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 16 November 2025 | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejchem.2025.423028.12336 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Abdullah Yousef1; Mohammed Abu-Elghait2; Mohamed S. Rizk1; Marwa Salah Abdel-Hamid3; Salem S Salem* 2; Gamal M. El-Sherbiny2 | ||
| 1Basic & Medical Sciences Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Al-Ryada University for Science and Technology. Egypt | ||
| 2Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, 11884, Cairo, Egypt | ||
| 3Microbial Biotechnology Departement, Gentic Engeeniring and Biotechnology Research institute, University of Sadat City,Menofyia governerate, Egypt. | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background: Oral biofilms contribute to caries, prosthetic failure, and periodontal disease. While classical pathogens such as Streptococcus mutans are well studied, multidrug-resistant (MDR) opportunistic bacteria occasionally isolated from the oral cavity may also participate in biofilm development and complicate oral infections. Natural bioactive agents with antibiofilm potential, such as clove oil, are promising alternatives to conventional antimicrobials. Methods: Clinical specimens (n = 90) were collected from dental patients, and isolates were characterized phenotypically and genotypically. Among them, two highly virulent MDR opportunistic oral pathogens, Klebsiella pneumoniae PP995146 and Bacillus subtilis PP995148, were selected based on strong biofilm formation and β-hemolytic activity for further analysis. Clove oil extracted from Syzygium aromaticum buds was analyzed by GC-MS, revealing eugenol (55.70%) as the major compound. The antibacterial and antibiofilm properties were evaluated through MIC testing, disc diffusion, and microplate-based biofilm assays. Results: Our results provide the first integrated experimental and computational evidence supporting clove oil as an eco-friendly antivirulence candidate against MDR opportunistic oral bacteria, offering a promising direction to counter biofilm-associated oral infections. The evaluated clove oil's MIC values for K. pneumoniae and B. subtilis were 2.5 mg/mL and 5 mg/mL, respectively, indicating strong antibacterial activity. Without influencing planktonic development, biofilm formation was considerably decreased by 76.48% and 69.66%, respectively, at sub-inhibitory concentrations (1.25–2.5 mg/mL) (p < 0.05). Docking analysis demonstrated stable hydrophobic interactions between eugenol and active-site residues in LuxS synthase and AbbA, supporting the observed antibiofilm effects. Conclusion: The findings highlight clove oil as a natural antivirulence candidate to mitigate oral bacterial pathogenicity and complement current antimicrobial strategies. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Oral biofilm; multidrug resistance; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Bacillus subtilis; clove oil; eugenol; molecular docking | ||
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