ArticleScientific reports2026
Linalool potentiates tetracycline against multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus via biofilm disruption.
Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacological Activities ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Pooled it
- Antibacterial properties ofFrontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The rapid global spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria is undermining the effectiveness of existing antibiotics and motivating the search for adjunct strategies. Here, we evaluated the in vitro antibacterial activity of linalool and explored its associated cellular effects against multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MDRSA). Checkerboard assays and fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) analysis were used to assess the inhibitory effect of linalool in combination with tetracycline antibiotics on MDRSA. Targeted metabolomics was employed to investigate the impact of linalool on MDRSA. Bacterial morphology was observed using transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Bacterial content leakage and changes in oxidative stress-related parameters were measured separately. In combination with tetracycline antibiotics, linalool showed synergistic or additive interactions based on FICI analysis and was associated with reduced bacterial growth and biofilm formation. Electron microscopy observations revealed that linalool caused indentations and ruptures on bacterial surfaces, leading to an increase in the leakage of bacterial contents (DNA, and RNA). Metabolomics revealed that linalool regulates various microbial metabolic processes, including microbial metabolism in different environments, lysine degradation, two-component systems, ABC transporters, and arginine biosynthesis, further supporting its antibacterial activity. Linalool treatment was associated with altered SOD- and H2O2-related readouts in MDRSA, consistent with perturbations in redox homeostasis and cellular metabolism; these changes were more pronounced under combination treatment. The combination of linalool with tetracycline-class antibiotics was associated with broader physiological perturbations. These findings provide a rationale for further mechanistic investigations and in vivo evaluation of linalool as a potential adjuvant to tetracycline antibiotics.
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Registered trials
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