by Mbarga Manga Joseph Arsene¹*
1 Department of Microbiology V.S. Kiktenko, Medical Institute, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba (RUDN University), Moscow, Russian Federation.
*Corresponding authors: [email protected]
Received: 06.01.2026 Accepted: 26.05.2026 Published online: 01.07.2026
| The global rise of antimicrobial resistance has intensified the search for therapeutic strategies that reduce bacterial pathogenicity without relying solely on bacterial killing. Quorum sensing (QS), a cell-density-dependent communication system, regulates key virulence traits including biofilm formation, motility, toxin production, extracellular enzyme secretion, immune evasion, metabolic adaptation, and antimicrobial tolerance. As a result, QS has become a promising target for anti-virulence therapy. Numerous bioactive compounds, including phytochemicals, essential oils, microbial metabolites, antimicrobial peptides, quorum-quenching enzymes, synthetic inhibitors, and nanomaterials, have been investigated for their ability to interfere with QS-regulated pathways. However, validating anti-QS activity remains methodologically challenging because many putative QS inhibitors also affect bacterial growth, metabolism, membrane integrity, or biofilm stability, making it difficult to distinguish true communication interference from nonspecific antimicrobial effects. This review critically evaluates the methodologies used to investigate QS-related virulence inhibition in pathogenic bacteria. It examines key experimental parameters, including strain selection, inoculum standardization, MIC and sub-MIC determination, phenotypic and biosensor-based assays, signal molecule detection, molecular and omics approaches, advanced imaging, in vivo models, and computational tools. Particular emphasis is placed on the limitations of single-endpoint assays and the importance of integrating phenotypic, molecular, and functional evidence before classifying a compound as a genuine QS inhibitor. By identifying common sources of bias, reproducibility issues, and translational challenges, this review proposes a rigorous framework for the evaluation of anti-QS compounds and their potential application against clinically relevant bacterial pathogens. |
