Abstract
The wound healing process is essential to reform the damaged tissue and prevent its invasion by pathogens. The present study aims at evaluating the antibacterial and therapeutic properties of the Capsicum annuum L. (Solanaceae) extract against infected wound in a rat model with its mechanisms of antibacterial action. The fruit extract was prepared by maceration in methanol. The broth microdilution method was used to investigate the antibacterial activity of the methanol extract of C. annuum fruits. The therapeutic effect of the extract gel was performed on an excision wound infected with Staphylococcus aureus using a rat model. The total phenol, flavonoid, and tannin contents as well as the antibacterial mechanisms of action of the extract were determined using spectrophotometric methods. The C. annuum fruit extract showed antibacterial properties which can be linked to its total phenolic, flavonoid, and tannin contents. The antibacterial activity is due to the inhibition of the biofilm formation, ATPases/H+ proton pump, and dehydrogenase activity as well as the alteration of the bacterial cell membrane through the leakage of nucleic acids, reducing sugars and proteins. The extract gel showed a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the percentage of wound closure and eradicated S. aureus at the infection site. The extract gel was nonirritating to the skin and slightly irritating to the eyes and should be used with caution. Overall, the findings of the present study support the traditional use of the studied plant in the treatment of wounds and infectious diseases associated with the tested bacteria.
Highlights
Wounds are among the major and widely occurring pathologies [1]
The antibacterial activity of the plant extract was evaluated by determining the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (Table 2)
MIC value of 64 μg/mL was recorded against S. aureus 18 whereas the highest MIC value of 2048 was obtained on E. coli 64R
Summary
The wound healing process is essential to reform the damaged tissue and prevent its invasion by pathogens [2]. Wound healing is a fundamental process, the infection of wound can cause significant delays within the repair and regeneration cycle [3]. It has been reported that a key factor in delayed chronic wound repair was the failure of the host response to combat multifactorial infections including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus, haemolytic Streptococcus, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Proteus species [4]. Inappropriate prescribing, extensive agricultural use, a decline in the availability of new antibiotics, and the various adaptations by which pathogenic bacteria obviate the effects of antimicrobials have further increased the threat [6]. As resistance to first- to fourth-generation antibiotics gains force, the development of new antimicrobial agents must be a priority if the problem is to be contained [7]. The plants are a large and unexplored reservoir of secondary metabolites, such as tannins, terpenoids, alkaloids, and flavonoids which have shown antimicrobial properties [8,9,10,11]
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