Fig latex inhibits the growth of pathogenic bacteria invading human diabetic wounds and accelerating the wound closure in diabetic mice

Abstract

Impaired wound healing is one of the most critical complications associated with diabetes mellitus. Hence, novel and more effective natural therapeutic antibacterial agents are urgently needed and should be developed against the pathogenic bacteria inhabiting the diabetic wounds. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the impact of fig latex on the pathogenic bacteria and its ability to promote the healing process of diabetic wounds. The pathogenic bacteria were isolated from patients with diabetic wounds admitted at Assiut University hospital. Fig latex was collected from trees in Assiut regions, and its chemical compositions were analyzed using GC-MS. The anti-bacterial efficacy of the fig latex was assessed on the isolated bacteria. In vivo study to investigate the effect of fig latex on the diabetic wound healing was monitored using three mice groups: non-diabetic control, diabetic and diabetic treated with fig latex. The influence of fig latex on the expression levels of β-defensin-1, collagen formation, PECAM-1, CCL2 and ZO-1 were investigated. The GC-MS analysis demonstrated the presence of triterpenoids with more than 90% of total latex content. Furthermore, using streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice model, topical treatment of diabetic wounded tissues with fig latex accelerated and improved the wound closure through increasing the expression levels of β-defensin-1, collagen, and PECAM-1 as compared to untreated diabetic wounds. Additionally, fig latex down-regulated the expression levels of ZO-1 and CCL2.