Chloramphenicol induces in vitro growth arrest and apoptosis of human keratinocytes

The safety profile of Bald's eyesalve for the treatment of bacterial infections

The rise in antimicrobial resistance has prompted the development of alternatives to combat bacterial infections. Bald's eyesalve, a remedy used in the Early Medieval period, has previously been shown to have efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus in in vitro and in vivo models of chronic wounds. However, the safety profile of Bald's eyesalve has not yet been demonstrated, and this is vital before testing in humans. Here, we determined the safety potential of Bald's eyesalve using in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models representative of skin or eye infections. We also confirmed that Bald's eyesalve is active against an important eye pathogen, Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Low levels of cytotoxicity were observed in eyesalve-treated cell lines representative of skin and immune cells. Results from a bovine corneal opacity and permeability test demonstrated slight irritation to the cornea that resolved within 10 min. The slug mucosal irritation assay revealed that a low level of mucus was secreted by slugs indicating moderate mucosal irritation. We obtained promising results from mouse wound closure experiments; no visible signs of irritation or inflammation were observed. Our results suggest that Bald's eyesalve could be tested further on human volunteers to assess safety for topical application against bacterial infections.

Eriobotrya japonica Counteracts Reactive Oxygen Species and Nitric Oxide Stimulated by Chloramphenicol

Chloramphenicol is a toxic antibiotic used for certain infections, though aplastic anaemia is one of its side-effects. The results of our experiments showed that blood cells suffered oxidative stress in the presence of chloramphenicol, with a significant increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) detected by luminol-chemiluminescence (CL). The extract of fruits of Eriobotrya japonica markedly decreased ROS in leukocytes and erythrocytes, the oxidative stress caused by this antibiotic. Nitro Blue Tetrazolium (NBT) assay with purified leukocytes demonstrated that the antioxidant action of E. japonica caused an intracellular reduction in ROS, and that the extracts decreased these promoters of oxidative stress to normal levels in the cytoplasm. Determinations of nitric oxide (NO) generation indicated that E. japonica extracts also inhibited the stimuli of NO provoked by chloramphenicol. This study showed that the immediate antioxidant effect of E. japonica could be associated with the action of vitamin A. The protective action of this fruit was seen on mature leukocytes and erythrocytes, beneficial effect on blood cells suggest that its extract could be used as an antioxidant agent complementing the administration of chloramphenicol, as a modern-day extension to its traditional use in Chinese medicine.