Evaluation of Arabic gum antibacterial and wound healing activities against Staphylococcus aureus isolates obtained from skin infections

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive bacterium that has reflected a noteworthy problem for public health. Nearly all Staphylococcus strains secrete lipase enzymes, which may cause damage to host tissues and deactivate host immune systems. This pathogen may colonize the skin and soft tissues. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Arabic gum in inhibiting the lipolytic activity of pathogenic S. aureus commonly found in skin infections, through both lab-based and animal experiments. We obtained 300 specimens from individuals who met the clinical requirements for various skin diseases from four Egyptian hospitals: Al-Minshawi general hospital, Tanta University hospital, Kafr El-Zayat general hospital, and Mahalla general hospital, respectively. We determined the lipase activity for the S. aureus isolates and examined the effect of Arabic gum on mice against the lipase enzyme activity. Arabic gum treatment reduced the lipase activity at 1/2 MIC, 1/4 MIC, 1/8 MIC, and 1/16 MIC by 84.1%, 68.7%, 81.6%, and 68.6%, respectively. In male Sprague-Dawley mice, Arabic gum revealed a significant improvement in burn healing. All of the mouse groups used in the experiment showed better neovascularization and re-epithelialization in the histological tests on Arabic gum. Our results suggest that Arabic gum may help burn wounds heal faster by affecting tissue regeneration. We concluded that Arabic gum has promising antibacterial and wound-healing properties against S. aureus skin infections.