Abstract
Now a day's multidrug resistance phenomenon has become the main cause for concern and there has been an inadequate achievement in the development of novel antibiotics to treat the bacterial infections. Therefore, there is an unmet need to search for novel adjuvant. Vitamin C is one such promising adjuvant. The present study was aimed to elucidate the antibacterial effect of vitamin C at various temperatures (4°C, 37°C and 50°C) and pH (3, 8, and 11), against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria at various concentrations (5-20 mg/ml) through agar well diffusion method. Growth inhibition of all bacterial strains by vitamin C was concentration-dependent. Vitamin C significantly inhibited the growth of Gram-positive bacteria: Bacillus licheniformis (25.3 ± 0.9 mm), Staphylococcus aureus (22.0 ± 0.6 mm), Bacillus subtilis (19.3 ± 0.3 mm) and Gram-negative bacteria: Proteus mirabilis (27.67 ± 0.882 mm), Klebsiella pneumoniae (21.33±0.9 mm), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (18.0 ± 1.5 mm) and Escherichia coli (18.3 ± 0.3 mm). The stability of vitamin C was observed at various pH values and various temperatures. Vitamin C showed significant antibacterial activity at acidic pH against all bacterial strains. Vitamin C remained the stable at different temperatures. It was concluded that vitamin C is an effective and safe antibacterial agent that can be used in the future as an adjunct treatment option to combat infections in humans.
Highlights
Vitamin C is an important antioxidant, free radical scavenger, pro-oxidant, and an antibacterial molecule that can modify the antimicrobial activity of various antibiotics as well as significantly declines the adversative effects of reactive species (Kwiecinska-Pirog et al, 2019)
In the current research antibacterial activity of vitamin C or L ascorbic acid at 5, 10 and 20 mg/1ml was determined against seven bacterial strains i.e., Gram-positive (S. aureus, B. subtilis, B. licheniformis and Gram- negative bacteria (K. pneumoniae, E. coli, P aeruginosa and P. mirabilis) by calculating the diameter of the zone of inhibitions
No zone of inhibition was found in the positive control group against P. aeruginosa, S. aureus and K. pneumoniae at 5 mg/ml of erythromycin which shows that these bacterial strains are resistant to antibiotic
Summary
Vitamin C is an important antioxidant, free radical scavenger, pro-oxidant, and an antibacterial molecule that can modify the antimicrobial activity of various antibiotics as well as significantly declines the adversative effects of reactive species (Kwiecinska-Pirog et al, 2019). Various bacterial strains such as Klebsiella pneumoniae and E. coli have antibiotic resistance which results in more complications occur (Ahmed et al, 2019). The antibacterial effect of vitamin C L- ascorbic acid has been found against various pathogenic organisms including Bacillus subtilis, Corynebacterium diphtheria, Enterococcus faecalis, and Staphylococcus aureus (Isela et al, 2013). It prohibits the mycobacterium tuberculosis and Helicobacter pylori, which is responsible for carcinoma (Vilchèze et al, 2013). Fruit juices containing vitamin C were used as antimicrobials that reveal that vitamin C act as an antibacterial agent (Opara et al, 2009)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
