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Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative, aerobic rod-shaped bacteria commonly found in soil and water. It can cause disease in both plants and humans. As an opportunistic pathogen, it is responsible for deaths in humans due to its ability to acquire resistance to a multitude of antibiotics. Resistance is the ability of an organism to evolve in order to protect itself from antimicrobials such as antibiotics. This results in the bacteria becoming stronger than the antibiotic designed to destroy it, thus leading to drug resistant bacteria. As a consequence, the resistant pathogen is difficult to treat.
Glycyrrhiza glabra, more commonly known as liquorice, is a medicinal plant with a wide range of pharmacological effects shown to display anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antitumor, and antibacterial activity. However, homeopathically prepared Glycyrrhiza glabra mother tincture (Ø) has not been tested for its antibacterial activity. This has created a novel research area for new potential treatments for Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Glycyrrhiza glabra homeopathic Ø on Pseudomonas aeruginosa in-vitro.
This quantitative in-vitro study was conducted at the University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein campus Water and Health Research Centre (WHRC) under the supervision of a qualified laboratory technician with permission granted. The experiments were done by means of Mueller-Hinton agar culture and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), using the 24 well-plate method and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC). Isolates of 26 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa characterized in previous studies were obtained from the WHRC’s culture collection. Various concentrations of ethanol and antibiotic Piperacillin/Tazobactam (TZP) were used as controls in the experiments. Iodonitrotetrazolium chloride (INT), a tetrazolium dye, was used to observe any presence of bacterial growth in the 24 well-plates. All experiments were repeated in triplicate to verify the validity and repeatability of the observed results and to eliminate laboratory error.
The results obtained showed that Glycyrrhiza glabra homeopathic Ø had a bacteriostatic effect on Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. When comparing G. glabra Ø to the controls ethanol 65% and antibiotic TZP, it was evident from the results obtained that the homeopathic tincture influenced a higher number of Pseudomonas strains irrespective of the effect of the solvent or the antibiotic on the bacteria. Further research is therefore warranted to confirm this finding.
