The use of natural products in compounded wound care formulas is an exciting avenue to pursue for compounding pharmacists since these natural products may contain compounds that promote healing on their own. The use of these natural extracts as an alternative therapy for wound care may also provide several benefits, such as decreased inflammation, infection, side effects, and treatment costs. Thus far, several studies have demonstrated antimicrobial activity for various natural product extracts, including green propolis and meadowsweet. The antimicrobial properties of these extracts make them particularly interesting for wound care because the healing process is significantly delayed by bacterial infection and colonization at the site of injury. Therefore, to further investigate the antimicrobial properties of green propolis and meadowsweet extracts, we performed minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration assays against Staphylococcus aureus, a microorganism known to cause wound infections. The antimicrobial activity of green propolis and meadowsweet extracts was tested in vitro against a standard strain of Staphylococcus aureus in brain heart infusion broth and Mueller-Hinton agar plates. Green propolis extract demonstrated antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 1.25 mg/mL and a minimum bactericidal concentration of 1.25 mg/mL. In contrast, meadowsweet extract failed to inhibit Staphylococcus aureus growth at the highest concentration tested (30 mg/mL). Green propolis was more effective than meadowsweet extract at inhibiting the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, suggesting that the addition of green propolis extract in wound care formulas might be more beneficial for the treatment of wounds. Therefore, we propose that green propolis extract is a promising natural product for wound care formulations.
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