Transcriptomic and metabolomic characterization of antibacterial activity of .

Antibacterial resistance poses a significant global threat, necessitating the discovery of new therapeutic agents. Plants are a valuable source of secondary metabolites with demonstrated anticancer and antibacterial properties. In this study, we reveal that exhibits both bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects against and . Treatment with plant extracts results in membrane damage and a reduction in swimming and swarming motility. A comparative analysis of bacterial transcriptomes exposed to M.dodecandrum extracts and four distinct antibiotics indicates that the extracts may trigger similar transcriptomic responses as triclosan, a fatty acid synthesis inhibitor. Activity-guided fractionation suggests that the antibacterial activity is not attributable to hydrolyzable tannins, but to unidentified minor compounds. Additionally, we identified 104 specialized metabolic pathways and demonstrated a high level of transcriptional coordination between these biosynthetic pathways and phytohormones, highlighting potential regulatory mechanisms of antibacterial metabolites in M.dodecandrum.