Antibacterial, Wound healing Activities, and GC-MS analysis of Myrtus communis

Abstract

Infectious diseases represent a high-risk factor for mortality among the general population, especially among immunocompromised patients, especially with the increasing rate of infections caused by multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria. On the other side, natural products are preferred over synthetic drugs for their availability, and cheapness, and possessing fewer side effects compared to synthetic drugs. Therefore, researchers have been motivated to develop new antibacterial drugs, especially due to the constant emergence of resistant bacteria to the conventionally used antibacterial agents. This study aimed to satisfy 4-objectives (1) assess the in vitro antibacterial potential of the Libyan Myrtus communis leaves extract against MRSA, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolates and (2) assess the in-vivo potential of the extract to treat wounds infected with MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and to (3) phytochemically analyze the extract and (4) Study the effect of long storage period of the extract on its performance against tested bacterial isolates. Standard Disc agar diffusion method and animal model were used for the in-vitro and in-vivo screening, respectively. Traditional phytochemical and GC-MS analyses were used for phytochemical screening. Different antibiotic classes were used for comparison. The results proved that the tested extract has good in-vitro and in-vivo antibacterial activity against MDR bacteria. Flavonoids, Saponins, Tannins, Quinic acid Myrtenol, and fatty acids were found within the extract constituents and suggested as responsible for the good shown activity. The results conclude and introduce Myrtus communis as a resource for promising antibacterial agents having good potential against MDR bacteria.