Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Activity of Chlorella vulgaris Against MDR Bacteria Isolated from Diabetic Wound Pus Samples
Chlorella vulgaris Against MDR Bacteria
Keywords:
Antimicrobial, Chlorella vulgaris extract, Diabetes, Microalgae, Pyogenic infections, Topical antimicrobialAbstract
Background: The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize pathogenic microbes from the pus of diabetic patients and to evaluate the antibiotic susceptibility of multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates along with their resistance patterns against the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris extract (CVE).
Methods: This hospital-based biphasic research study (cross-sectional and experimental) included 100 pus samples from diabetic patients. Out of these, 10 isolates were identified as multidrug-resistant (MDR) and were subsequently subjected to further characterization. Two methods were employed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris. Since the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method did not provide sufficient results, a turbidity assay was performed in an ELISA 96-well microtiter plate to evaluate the inhibitory effect of microalgae CVE on bacterial growth. To assess the biofilm-forming ability of pus isolates and to evaluate the inhibitory potential of CVE against their biofilms standard microtiter plate assays were performed.
Results: The CVE exhibited species-dependent antibiofilm activity against pus isolates from diabetic patients. The strongest % inhibition at MIC with algal extract was observed in Acinetobacter species (48.28%) and Streptococcus pyogenes (42.12%), while the weakest response was noted in Klebsiella pneumoniae (27.48%). Overall CVE demonstrated significant inhibitory potential (p < 0.05) with comparatively stronger effects against certain Gram-negative and selected Gram-positive bacteria.
Conclusion: Microalgae CVE exhibited antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity against MDR isolates from diabetic patients with the strongest effects on Acinetobacter species and Streptococcus pyogenes indicating its potential as a natural therapeutic requiring further mechanistic and in vivo validation.
References
Demir S, Nawroth PP, Herzig S, Ekim Üstünel B. Emerging targets in type 2 diabetes and diabetic complications. Advanced Science. 2021 Sep;8(18):2100275.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202100275
Inamadar AC, Palit A. Cutaneous Bacterial Infections. In: Atlas of Dermatology, Dermatopathology and Venereology: Cutaneous Infectious and Neoplastic Conditions and Procedural Dermatology. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2021 Oct 5. p. 1-22.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53805-1_72
Linz MS, Mattappallil A, Finkel D, Parker D. Clinical impact of Staphylococcus aureus skin and soft tissue infections. Antibiotics. 2023 Mar 11;12(3):557.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12030557
Donnelly J, Collins A. Wound management, tissue viability and infection. Orthopaedic and Trauma Nursing: An Evidence-based Approach to Musculoskeletal Care. 2023 Feb 10:140-56.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119833413.ch12
Heffernan AJ, Lim SM, Lipman J, Roberts JA. A personalised approach to antibiotic pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in critically ill patients. Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain Medicine. 2021 Dec 1;40(6):100970.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accpm.2021.100970
Algammal AM, Hetta HF, Elkelish A, Alkhalifah DH, Hozzein WN, Batiha GE, et al. Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): one health perspective approach to the bacterium epidemiology, virulence factors, antibiotic-resistance, and zoonotic impact. Infection and Drug Resistance. 2020 Sep 22:3255-65.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S272733
Urban-Chmiel R, Marek A, Stępien-Pysniak D, Wieczorek K, Dec M, Nowaczek A, et al. Antibiotic resistance in bacteria-A review. Antibiotics. 2022 Aug 9;11(8):1079.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11081079
Alara JA, Alara OR. An overview of the global alarming increase of multiple drug resistant: a major challenge in clinical diagnosis. Infectious Disorders-Drug Targets. 2024 May 1;24(3):26-42.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2174/1871526523666230725103902
Ilieva Y, Zaharieva MM, Kroumov AD, Najdenski H. Antimicrobial and ecological potential of Chlorellaceae and Scenedesmaceae with a focus on wastewater treatment and industry. Fermentation. 2024 Jun 28;10(7):341.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10070341
Yin D, Guo Y, Han R, Yang Y, Zhu D, Hu F. A modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion (mKB) method for accurately testing tigecycline susceptibility: a nation-wide multicenter comparative study. Journal of Medical Microbiology. 2023 Aug 8;72(8):001671.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.001671
Hossain TJ. Methods for screening and evaluation of antimicrobial activity: A review of protocols, advantages, and limitations. European Journal of Microbiology and Immunology. 2024 May 14;14(2):97-115.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1556/1886.2024.000355
Kaur J, Nobile CJ. Antifungal drug-resistance mechanisms in Candida biofilms. Current Opinion in Microbiology. 2023 Feb 1;71:102237.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mib.2022.102237
Thajuddin N. Development of wound dressing film using methanolic extracts of freshwater microalgae and determining its wound healing ability.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25081/cb.2021.v12.6986
Nesrullah Z, Al-Rubaiee G, Zaki N. Evaluation of the extract of microalgae and its fatty acids on Candida spp. isolated from renal impairment patients. IUJAS. 2023;7(1):252-71.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52865/RNLN4662
Zuorro A, Lavecchia R, Contreras-Ropero JE, Martínez JB, Barajas-Ferreira C, Barajas-Solano AF. Natural antimicrobial agents from algae: Current advances and future directions. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2024 Nov 4;25(21):11826.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252111826
Iddrisu AK, Owusu G, Doe SK, Yeboah AA, Agyapong J, Yankey N. Uropathogens and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns among diabetic patients at st. john of god hospital, duayaw nkwanta, Ghana: a cross-sectional study. Health Science Reports. 2024 Sep;7(9):e70072.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.70072
Ahmed AQ, Mohammed NJ, Zefenkey ZF, Mamand SF, Hassannejad S, Hassan AO, et al. Investigate Freshwater Algae Extract's Efficacy in Treating Diabetes Ulcers and Its Anti-Staphylococcal Properties. Reports of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. 2024 Apr;13(1):114.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.61186/rbmb.13.1.114
El-Salamouni NS, Gowayed MA, Seiffein NL, Abdel-Moneim RA, Kamel MA, Labib GS. Valsartan solid lipid nanoparticles integrated hydrogel: A challenging repurposed use in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer, in-vitro/in-vivo experimental study. International Journal of Pharmaceutics. 2021 Jan 5;592:120091.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2020.120091
Hossain TJ. Methods for screening and evaluation of antimicrobial activity: A review of protocols, advantages, and limitations. European Journal of Microbiology and Immunology. 2024 May 14;14(2):97-115.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1556/1886.2024.00035
Hussien FH, AL-Ammar MH. Molecular study of some pathogenic bacteria associated with the diabetes patients. International Journal of Health Sciences. 2022;6(S4):6829-38.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.53730/ijhs.v6nS4.10309
Morowvat MH, Kazemi K, Jaberi MA, Amini A, Gholami A. Biosynthesis and antimicrobial evaluation of zinc oxide nanoparticles using Chlorella vulgaris biomass against multidrug-resistant pathogens. Materials. 2023 Jan 15;16(2):842.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16020842
Sultan YY, Marrez DA. Isolation and purification of antifungal compounds from the green microalga Chlorella vulgaris. Journal of Applied Biotechnology Reports. 2022 Jun 1;9(2):603-13.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.30491/jabr.2021.302307.1438
Christabel PF, Hernando MV, Sutanto CA, Parisihni K. Exploration of Chlorella spp. as antibacterial to Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans biofilm. In: IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. Vol. 217, No. 1. IOP Publishing; 2018 Dec 1. p. 012040.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/217/1/012040
Li SF, Fanesi A, Martin T, Lopes F. Biomass production and physiology of Chlorella vulgaris during the early stages of immobilized state are affected by light intensity and inoculum cell density. Algal Research. 2021 Nov 1;59:102453.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2021.102453
Dvoretsky D, Dvoretsky S, Temnov M, Markin I, Akulinin E, Golubyatnikov О, et al. Experimental research into the antibiotic properties of Chlorella vulgaris algal exometabolites. Chemical Engineering Transactions. 2019 Apr 1;74.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3303/CET1974239
Ricky R, Chiampo F, Shanthakumar S. Efficacy of Ciprofloxacin and Amoxicillin Removal and the Effect on the Biochemical Composition of Chlorella vulgaris. Bioengineering. 2022 Mar 24;9(4):134.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Ahmad Naeem Sajed, Mohsin Gulzar Barq, Muhammad Waseem, Muhammad Ahsan Murtaza, Muhammad Tayyab, Abdul Nafeh

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.






