show Abstracthide AbstractStaphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a gram-positive bacterium that causes a wide range of diseases. Terpinen-4-ol is a monoterpene component contained in most plant essential oils with good antibacterial activity. In this study, terpinen-4-ol effectively inhibited 13 strains of S. aureus, and effectively inhibited the biofilm of MRSA. Metabolomics and transcriptomics were used to elucidate changes in MRSA cells exposed to terpinen-4-ol. Terpinen-4-ol significantly changed (greater than a 2- or less than a 2-fold change) the expression of 304 genes and the level of 847 metabolites (greater than a 1.5- or less than a 0.67-fold change) in MRSA. The levels of genes and metabolites related to the valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis metabolism pathway, the purine and pyrimidine metabolism pathway, energy metabolism and ß-lactam resistance were dramatically changed in biofilms exposed to terpinen-4-ol. To the best of our knowledge, this research is the first to report the metabolite and expression profiles of MRSA exposed to terpinen-4-ol. Overall design: Use 0.08% terpinen-4-ol to treat MRSA ATCC43300