ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Antimicrobials, Resistance and Chemotherapy
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1547632
Thymol combined with SAEW for the eradication of mature Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms and reduction of bacterial virulence
Provisionally accepted
Zhexiao Ma1
Changrui Qian1Zeyong Zhong1
Zhuocheng Yao1Congcong You2
Jianming Cao2
Cui Zhou1*
Jianzhong Ye1*- 1First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- 2Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
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Biofilms formed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) are a major challenge in clinical settings due to their resilience and contribution to persistent infections, especially in patients with indwelling medical devices. This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial and antibiofilm efficacy of thymol combined with slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) against P. aeruginosa PAO1. The combination therapy was tested using in vitro biofilm assays, reactive oxygen species (ROS) quantification, gene expression analysis, and safety evaluations in animal models. The results demonstrated that the combination of thymol and SAEW effectively disrupted mature biofilms, significantly reduced bacterial load on medical catheters, and enhanced ROS production. Furthermore, the treatment downregulated key virulence genes, lasA and lasB, which are critical for elastin degradation and pathogenicity. Safety assessments confirmed no acute skin or ocular toxicity, indicating its suitability for clinical applications. In summary, thymol-enhanced SAEW shows great potential as a safe and effective strategy for biofilm eradication and infection control, paving the way for innovative approaches to combat antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in healthcare settings.
Keywords: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, SAEW, Thymol, Anti-biofilm, Antitoxicity
Received: 18 Dec 2024; Accepted: 12 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ma, Qian, Zhong, Yao, You, Cao, Zhou and Ye. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Cui Zhou, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang Province, China
Jianzhong Ye, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang Province, China
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