PROTEOMIC ANALYSIS AND ANTIBACTERIAL EFFECTS OF LITHOSPERMI RADIX AGAINST COMMON BACTERIA FROM HUMAN INFECTED WOUNDS

Abstract

The prevention and treatment of infections of human wounds are an important issue. In this investigation five herbal plants were selected, and their antibacterial effects were elucidated. Of these five herbal plants, the morphological changes of the one with the strongest antibacterial effects were observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the differential expression of bacterial proteins treated with them was determined by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D-GE). Two proteins of weakly expressed spots from the highest matching percentage of 2D-GE were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF). The results indicated that the Lithospermi radix have the best minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC). The SEM examination reveals different bactericidal morphological changes and colony distributions obtained using Lithospermi radix. 2D-GE reveals that Staphylococcus aureus treated with Lithospermi radix has the highest matching percentage (90.93%). Then identification of two proteins that are weakly expressed in Staphylococcus aureus by MALDI-TOF/TOF reveals that they are Holliday junction ATP-dependent DNA helicase RuvB and D-alanine: D-alanine ligase (DDI). These results are noteworthy to suggest that Lithospermi radix may be used as an antibacterial medicine to treatment of human wound infection.