Antibacterial and Antivirulence Effects of Syrian Native Sweet Pomegranate (Punica granatum) Peel Extracts Against P. aeruginosa Provided from Burn Wounds

Introduction: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen leading to severe, acute and chronic infections in burn patients. In the process of wound healing, a significant delay in the closure of excisional wound sites is due to the bacterial skin infection, so anti-infection is important in wound healing. Objective: Abuse of antibiotics leads to the development of multi drug resistance of P. aeruginosa strains which requires a rapid intervention to find a solution focusing on new natural antibacterial pathways. Punica granatum (pomegranate) has emerged as a medicinal plant with potential antimicrobial activity. The present study was planned to evaluate this activity against P. aeruginosa collected from burn wound cultures. Methods: Aqueous extract of sweet pomegranate peels from Safita, a mountainous region west of Syria was prepared. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and antivirulence efficacy were determined for the -prepared extract. Results: MIC was 1.4 mg/ml and bacterial gelatinase and lecithinase activities were reduced by 40.28±2.35% and 53.84±4.89%, respectively. Conclusion: The extracts from pomegranate fruit peel possess strong antimicrobial and antivirulence activities against P. aeruginosa. Therefore, this plant could be an important source of new antimicrobial compounds.