The control of microbially induced corrosion by methyl eugenol - A dietary phytochemical with quorum sensing inhibitory potential.

The development of biofilms by microorganisms is conventionally attributed to microbially induced corrosion on stainless steel surfaces and leads to severe consequences in industrial and environmental settings. Since bacterial biofilm formation is regulated by the signal mediated quorum sensing (QS) system, targeting biofilms through QS inhibitors will possibly control biologically induced corrosion on the metal surface. In this study, biofilm formation on 316L stainless steel (SS 316L) immersed in a natural pond water system was effectively inhibited in the presence of the QS inhibitor methyl eugenol, as evidenced through epifluorescence microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses.