Healing potentials of Lactobacillus plantarum in multidrug-resistant bacteria-infected wounds

Antibiotic resistance in pathogens remains a significant public health concern, highlighting the need for non-antibiotic alternatives such as probiotics to treat infections. Probiotics are increasingly being projected in the search for alternative therapy. Probiotics such as Lactobacillus species produce bacteriocins, lactic acid and other antimicrobial substances that can inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria. This study evaluated the potential of a Lactobacillus plantarum isolate to inhibit multidrug resistant wound pathogens and promote wound healing in experimental animals.  A total of thirty-six male albino rats of nine- weeks –old were used in this study. These rats were divided into six groups (A to F); each group containing a total of six rats. Group A comprised wounded but untreated rats (control). Groups B, C, and F were wounded and topically inoculated with 10? CFU of resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and L. plantarum, respectively, while Groups D and E were treated with L. plantarum after infection with the wound pathogens. The animals were monitored over 12 days, during which the infection process and wound healing were monitored. In Groups B and C, bacterial counts in the wounds increased significantly (p<0.05); from 107 CFU to 108 and 109 CFU, respectively, by the 12th day, whereas the counts in Groups D and E significantly (p<0.05) decreased to 105 and 106 CFU, respectively. In Group F, minimal growth of S. aureus, but not Pseudomonas was recorded. Histopathological examination of the wound sections from representative animals in different groups showed that there was faster healing of wounds treated with the L. plantarum compared to untreated wounds. These findings confirm that L. plantarum may be prepared for topical application to prevent infection of wounds by antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Key words: Lactobacillus plantarum, wound infection, antibiotic resistance, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, probiotics.