Anti-Staphylococcal and wound healing activities of Ganoderma praelongum and Glycyrrhiza glabra formulation in mice

Summary: Topical antimicrobial therapy is one of the most important methods of wound care. In this investigation, we evaluated topical gel preparations of Ganoderma praelongum and Glycyrrhiza glabra aqueous extracts alone and in combination for antimicrobial and wound healing activities in MRSA - infected excision and incision wound models in mice. Gel formulations containing 0.3% G. praelongum, 2.5% G. glabra and combination of the two were prepared and tested for their influence on wound infection, wound contraction and epithelization phases of wound healing. Mupirocin ointment was applied as a standard treatment antibiotic. Results indicated that all three gel formulations promoted wound healing in both models by influencing wound contraction and epithelization phases. Examination of wounds at the end of our study period revealed that wounds treated with G. praelongum and G. glabra gel formulations (combination gel) showed considerable contraction and epithelization as compared to the gel base – treated group (negative control). Assumption could be made that this wound promotion is due to the anti – Staphylococcal activity of Ganoderma and wound healing activity of G. glabra. Industrial relevance: Medicine using fungal metabolites is now recognized. A mushroom that has gained worldwide attention is Ganoderma lucidum and has been used to treat a wide spectrum of ailments including fungal and bacterial infections for long periods of time throughout history of ancient traditional medicine. Previous reports indicate that ganoderma lucidum mycelia are usually prescribed in the form of soup, syrup, tea, tablets, capsules, tincture or bolus or injected as a solution of powdered spores. In this study, the combination gel containing aqueous extracts of G. praelongum and G. glabra effectively inhibited the growth of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and promoted wound healing in mice. Further phytochemical studies are needed to pinpoint the active components of the extracts. Moreover, various topical formulations containing combination of the two extracts are suggested to be prepared and evaluated for wound healing in clinical trials Keywords: G. praelongum; G. glabra; MRSA; wound healing; antimicrobial activity; mice