Exploring essential oil-based bio-composites: molecular docking and in vitro analysis for oral bacterial biofilm inhibition

Oral bacterial biofilms are the main reason for the progression of resistance to antimicrobial agents that may lead to severe conditions, including periodontitis and gingivitis. Essential oil-based nanocomposites can be a promising treatment option. We investigated cardamom, cinnamon, and clove essential oils for their potential in the treatment of oral bacterial infections using <i>in vitro</i> and computational tools. A detailed analysis of the drug-likeness and physicochemical properties of all constituents was performed. Molecular docking studies revealed that the binding free energy of a Carbopol 940 and eugenol complex was -2.0 kcal/mol, of a Carbopol 940-anisaldehyde complex was -1.9 kcal/mol, and a Carbapol 940-eugenol-anisaldehyde complex was -3.4 kcal/mol. Molecular docking was performed against transcriptional regulator genes 2XCT, 1JIJ, 2Q0P, 4M81, and 3QPI. Eugenol cinnamaldehyde and cineol presented strong interaction with targets. The essential oils were analyzed against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> isolated from the oral cavity of diabetic patients. The cinnamon and clove essential oil combination presented significant minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) (0.0625/0.0312 mg/mL) against <i>S. epidermidis</i> and <i>S. aureus</i> (0.0156/0.0078 mg/mL). In the anti-quorum sensing activity, the cinnamon and clove oil combination presented moderate inhibition (8 mm) against <i>Chromobacterium voilaceum</i> with substantial violacein inhibition (58% ± 1.2%). Likewise, a significant biofilm inhibition was recorded in the case of <i>S. aureus</i> (82.1% ± 0.21%) and <i>S. epidermidis</i> (84.2% ± 1.3%) in combination. It was concluded that a clove and cinnamon essential oil-based formulation could be employed to prepare a stable nanocomposite, and Carbapol 940 could be used as a compatible biopolymer.