Studies on the therapeutic effect of propolis along with standard antibacterial drug in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium infected BALB/c mice

Abstract

BackgroundAntibiotic resistance is an emerging public health problem. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has described antibiotic resistance as one of the world’s most pressing health problems in 21st century. WHO rated antibiotic resistance as “one of the three greatest threats to human health”. One important strategy employed to overcome this resistance is the use of combination of drugs. Many plants, natural extracts have been shown to exhibit synergistic response with standard drugs against microorganisms. The present study focused on the antibacterial potential of propolis in combination with the standard antibiotic Cefixime against the typhoid causing bacteria i.e. Salmonella.MethodsEthanolic extract of propolis was taken for the present work. For the experiment BALB/c mice were taken as animal model and divided into ten groups. Along with normal and infected control groups, four different combinations of cefixime and propolis were used. Biochemical, hematological and histopathological indices were studied by following the standard protocols.ResultsIn BALB/c mice, Salmonella causes severe biochemical, hematological and histopathological alterations by 5th day of infection. Ethanolic extract of propolis at a dose of 300 mg/kg body weight of mice when used alone to treat Salmonella infection in mice gave significant results by 30th day of treatment. Similarly, when cefixime (4 mg/kg body weight of mice) was used to treat infection in mice, significant results as compared to infected control were observed after 5th day. But when propolis and cefixime were used together in different concentrations in combination therapy, evident results were observed after 5 days of treatment. The levels of various liver and kidney function enzymes, blood indices and the histopathology of liver, spleen and kidney were restored to near normal after 5 days of treatment and at much lower doses as compared to the effective dose when used alone.ConclusionThe study confirmed that significant results were observed in three combinations of cefixime and propolis as compared to infected controls. Propolis acted synergistically with cefixime and enhanced the efficacy of antibiotic and reduced its effective dose in combined therapy.

The Establishment of BALB/c Mouse Model Infected by Salmonella Typhimurium CVCC541

“…The mutation and deletion of Nramp1 gene cause mice to be susceptible to many diseases [10]. Preeti Kalia et al reported that BALB/c mice infected by S. typhimurium MTCC98 manifested high temperature, loose coat, sleepiness, and other typical typhoid symptoms; therefore, this mouse model was used for the study of the efficacy of combined treatment of Propolis and Cefixime [11]. In our study, the BALB/c mice were used.…”

Cationic chitosan-propolis nanoparticles alter the zeta potential of S. epidermidis, inhibit biofilm formation by modulating gene expression and exhibit synergism with antibiotics

“…Bulgarian propolis showed synergistic effect when combined with chloramphenicol, tetracycline and neomycin, and has proven effective for the treatment of Salmonella typhi infection [14]. Synergistic interactions between propolis and several antibiotics including streptomycin, cloxacillin and cefixime have also been reported [15, 16]. Malaysian propolis nanoformulation with chitosan has been reported to be effective against Enterococcus faecalis biofilms [17].…”

Rapid Bactericidal Action of Propolis against Porphyromonas gingivalis

“…The safety of propolis is secured not only by its long history of usage as a folk medicine but by in vitro and in vivo safety assessment studies (Burdock 1998; Sforcin 2016). Propolis has antibacterial activity against a range of pathogens (Wojtyczka et al 2013; Kalia et al 2016), including in vitro antibacterial activity against periodontopathic bacteria (Santos et al 2002), and it improves microbiological and clinical parameters in periodontal tissues (Coutinho 2012; Sanghani et al 2014). Recent advances in separation and identification techniques revealed a range of chemical compounds in propolis, including flavonoids, terpenoids, and phenolics (Huang et al 2014).…”