{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,10]],"date-time":"2026-02-10T22:27:01Z","timestamp":1770762421191,"version":"3.50.0"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,10]],"date-time":"2026-02-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770681600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"NIH RO1","award":["412642"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["412642"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    The emergence of vancomycin-resistant\n                    <jats:italic>Enterococcus<\/jats:italic>\n                    (VRE) has posed a significant global health threat, especially in healthcare settings where treatment options are increasingly limited due to rising antibiotic resistance. Maslinic acid, a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpene found in olives, is known for its diverse biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects. In this study, we investigated the antibacterial and antibiofilm potential of maslinic acid against VRE. Initial screening identified maslinic acid as a potent hit, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 4 to 8 \u00b5g\/mL across 13 clinical enterococcal isolates, including multidrug-resistant strains. Time-kill assays demonstrated bacteriostatic activity comparable to linezolid, while cytotoxicity and hemolysis assays confirmed its safety in mammalian cells. Furthermore, maslinic acid disrupted established\n                    <jats:italic>Enterococcus faecalis<\/jats:italic>\n                    biofilms by approximately 50%, whereas linezolid was not effective against biofilms. Notably, maslinic acid significantly reduced bacterial burden in a\n                    <jats:italic>Caenorhabditis elegans<\/jats:italic>\n                    infection model by 80%, outperforming linezolid. These findings highlight maslinic acid as a promising candidate for the development of new therapies targeting VRE, with the added advantage of antibiofilm activity and a favorable safety profile.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0342234","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,10]],"date-time":"2026-02-10T18:32:56Z","timestamp":1770748376000},"page":"e0342234","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Antibiofilm and antibacterial activity of maslinic acid against Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE)"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"Somaia M.","family":"Abdelmegeed","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1967-119X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Mohamed F.","family":"Mohamed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mohamed N.","family":"Seleem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0342234.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2016.00788","article-title":"Global emergence and dissemination of enterococci as nosocomial pathogens: attack of the clones?","volume":"7","author":"AM Guzman Prieto","year":"2016","journal-title":"Front Microbiol"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0342234.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"38","DOI":"10.4103\/0255-0857.174099","article-title":"Prevalence, outcome and risk factor associated with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Northern India","volume":"34","author":"A Tripathi","year":"2016","journal-title":"Indian J Med Microbiol"},{"issue":"9","key":"pone.0342234.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3361","DOI":"10.1128\/JCM.02412-05","article-title":"Quinupristin-dalfopristin resistance in Enterococcus faecium isolates from humans, farm animals, and grocery store meat in the United States","volume":"44","author":"SM Donabedian","year":"2006","journal-title":"J Clin Microbiol"},{"issue":"9263","key":"pone.0342234.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1179","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(00)04376-2","article-title":"Infections due to vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium resistant to linezolid","volume":"357","author":"RD Gonzales","year":"2001","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0342234.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"565","DOI":"10.1086\/432121","article-title":"Emergence of resistance to daptomycin during treatment of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis infection","volume":"41","author":"LS Munoz-Price","year":"2005","journal-title":"Clin Infect Dis"},{"issue":"17","key":"pone.0342234.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9540","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.jmedchem.0c00734","article-title":"Optimization of Acetazolamide-Based Scaffold as Potent Inhibitors of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus","volume":"63","author":"J Kaur","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Med Chem"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0342234.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1838","DOI":"10.1080\/14756366.2022.2092729","article-title":"Structure-activity relationship studies for inhibitors for vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus and human carbonic anhydrases","volume":"37","author":"W An","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0342234.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"318","DOI":"10.1016\/S1473-3099(17)30753-3","article-title":"Discovery, research, and development of new antibiotics: the WHO priority list of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and tuberculosis","volume":"18","author":"E Tacconelli","year":"2018","journal-title":"Lancet Infect Dis"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0342234.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1128\/AAC.02216-16","article-title":"Effect of continuous and sequential therapy among veterans receiving Daptomycin or linezolid for vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium Bacteremia","volume":"61","author":"NS Britt","year":"2017","journal-title":"Antimicrob Agents Chemother"},{"key":"pone.0342234.ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"325","DOI":"10.3389\/fphar.2016.00325","article-title":"Linezolid toxicity and mitochondrial susceptibility: a novel neurological complication in a lebanese patient","volume":"7","author":"OK Abou Hassan","year":"2016","journal-title":"Front Pharmacol"},{"issue":"15","key":"pone.0342234.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1435","DOI":"10.1161\/CIR.0000000000000296","article-title":"Infective endocarditis in adults: diagnosis, antimicrobial therapy, and management of complications: a scientific statement for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association","volume":"132","author":"LM Baddour","year":"2015","journal-title":"Circulation"},{"key":"pone.0342234.ref012","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"541591","DOI":"10.1155\/2015\/541591","article-title":"Traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of Olea europaea (Olive)","volume":"2015","author":"MA Hashmi","year":"2015","journal-title":"Evid Based Complement Alternat Med"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0342234.ref013","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"44","DOI":"10.1016\/j.canlet.2008.07.033","article-title":"Maslinic acid, a natural triterpene from Olea europaea L., induces apoptosis in HT29 human colon-cancer cells via the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway","volume":"273","author":"FJ Reyes-Zurita","year":"2009","journal-title":"Cancer Lett"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0342234.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"266","DOI":"10.1038\/nrmicro2761","article-title":"The rise of the Enterococcus: beyond vancomycin resistance","volume":"10","author":"CA Arias","year":"2012","journal-title":"Nat Rev Microbiol"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0342234.ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"167","DOI":"10.1128\/CMR.15.2.167-193.2002","article-title":"Biofilms: survival mechanisms of clinically relevant microorganisms","volume":"15","author":"RM Donlan","year":"2002","journal-title":"Clin Microbiol Rev"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0342234.ref016","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105828","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijantimicag.2019.10.009","article-title":"Antivirulence activity of auranofin against vancomycin-resistant enterococci: in vitro and in vivo studies","volume":"55","author":"NS Abutaleb","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int J Antimicrob Agents"},{"key":"pone.0342234.ref017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.7717\/peerj.11059","article-title":"In vitro and in vivo activities of the carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, dorzolamide, against vancomycin-resistant enterococci","volume":"9","author":"NS Abutaleb","year":"2021","journal-title":"PeerJ"},{"key":"pone.0342234.ref018","article-title":"Repurposing antibacterial drugs and clinical molecules to combat vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE)","author":"SM Abdelmegeed","year":"2025","journal-title":"bioRxiv"},{"key":"pone.0342234.ref019","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"306","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ejmech.2015.03.015","article-title":"Synthesis and antibacterial evaluation of a novel series of synthetic phenylthiazole compounds against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)","volume":"94","author":"H Mohammad","year":"2015","journal-title":"Eur J Med Chem"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0342234.ref020","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"848","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bbagen.2017.01.029","article-title":"Targeting biofilms and persisters of ESKAPE pathogens with P14KanS, a kanamycin peptide conjugate","volume":"1861","author":"MF Mohamed","year":"2017","journal-title":"Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj"},{"issue":"14","key":"pone.0342234.ref021","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1213","DOI":"10.2174\/1389201017666160808160513","article-title":"Cell Proliferation and Cytotoxicity Assays","volume":"17","author":"A Adan","year":"2016","journal-title":"Curr Pharm Biotechnol"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0342234.ref022","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6953","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-017-07440-0","article-title":"A short D-enantiomeric antimicrobial peptide with potent immunomodulatory and antibiofilm activity against multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii","volume":"7","author":"MF Mohamed","year":"2017","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0342234.ref023","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4113","DOI":"10.1128\/AAC.02578-14","article-title":"Targeting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with short salt-resistant synthetic peptides","volume":"58","author":"MF Mohamed","year":"2014","journal-title":"Antimicrob Agents Chemother"},{"issue":"27","key":"pone.0342234.ref024","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"10414","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.0604055103","article-title":"Identification of novel antimicrobials using a live-animal infection model","volume":"103","author":"TI Moy","year":"2006","journal-title":"Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A"},{"issue":"12","key":"pone.0342234.ref025","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1925","DOI":"10.1038\/nprot.2008.193","article-title":"A C. elegans-based, whole animal, in vivo screen for the identification of antifungal compounds","volume":"3","author":"E Tampakakis","year":"2008","journal-title":"Nat Protoc"},{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0342234.ref026","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2500","DOI":"10.1128\/IAI.06350-11","article-title":"Caenorhabditis elegans immune conditioning with the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus acidophilus strain NCFM enhances gram-positive immune responses","volume":"80","author":"Y Kim","year":"2012","journal-title":"Infect Immun"},{"issue":"19","key":"pone.0342234.ref027","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"10892","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.191378698","article-title":"A simple model host for identifying Gram-positive virulence factors","volume":"98","author":"DA Garsin","year":"2001","journal-title":"Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0342234.ref028","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"533","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1469-0691.2010.03213.x","article-title":"Pathogenesis and immunity in enterococcal infections","volume":"16","author":"IG Sava","year":"2010","journal-title":"Clin Microbiol Infect"},{"key":"pone.0342234.ref029","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"126","DOI":"10.1099\/jmm.0.035477-0","article-title":"Serotypes and antibiotic resistance in Group B streptococcus isolated from patients at the Maternity Hospital, Kuwait","volume":"61","author":"SS Boswihi","year":"2012","journal-title":"J Med Microbiol"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0342234.ref030","article-title":"Antimicrobial potential of betulinic acid and investigation of the mechanism of action against nuclear and metabolic enzymes with molecular modeling","volume":"12","author":"GCS Rodrigues","year":"2023","journal-title":"Pathogens"},{"issue":"10","key":"pone.0342234.ref031","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1440","DOI":"10.14202\/vetworld.2018.1440-1444","article-title":"Antagonistic effect of ursolic acid on Staphylococcal biofilms","volume":"11","author":"JS Jyothi","year":"2018","journal-title":"Vet World"},{"issue":"13","key":"pone.0342234.ref032","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1496","DOI":"10.2174\/1389450122666210308111159","article-title":"Review of the biological activity of maslinic acid","volume":"22","author":"Z Jing","year":"2021","journal-title":"Curr Drug Targets"},{"issue":"13","key":"pone.0342234.ref033","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7928","DOI":"10.1002\/jsfa.13624","article-title":"Maslinic acid alleviates alcoholic liver injury in mice and regulates intestinal microbiota via the gut-liver axis","volume":"104","author":"J Su","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Sci Food Agric"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0342234.ref034","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2793","DOI":"10.1039\/D2FO02928F","article-title":"Dietary intake of table olives exerts antihypertensive effects in association with changes in gut microbiota in spontaneously hypertensive rats","volume":"14","author":"A G\u00f3mez-Contreras","year":"2023","journal-title":"Food Funct"}],"container-title":["PLOS One"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0342234","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,10]],"date-time":"2026-02-10T18:33:01Z","timestamp":1770748381000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0342234"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Huzaifa","family":"Umar","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"editor","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,10]]},"references-count":34,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,10]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0342234","relation":{},"ISSN":["1932-6203"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1932-6203","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,10]]}}}