The medical industry is currently experiencing a deficit of effective therapies to prevent infections, as the evolution of multidrug resistance has outpaced the research and development of new effective medications. Blowfly maggots have attracted high interest for their medicinal and therapeutic potential. This study was conducted to assess the antibacterial efficacy of Chrysomya albiceps larval extract against four multidrug-resistant pathogenic bacteria, including Gram-positive (Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19155 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 43300) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 and Salmonella sp. ATCC 14028). The extract strongly inhibited all tested bacterial species with inhibition zones ranging from 18 to 25 mm, showing the highest effect on S. aureus. Additionally, the extract exhibited potent antioxidant activity with an IC50 of 44.89 μg/mL and was non-toxic to human fibroblast (HFB4) cells up to 250 μg/mL. In vitro wound healing assays demonstrated that the extract significantly accelerated wound closure within 48 h. GC-MS analysis identified 17 bioactive compounds, most with known antimicrobial properties. Molecular docking studies confirmed stable interactions between these compounds and key bacterial protein targets, supporting the observed bioactivity. As part of the genetic diversity, larval samples were identified by nucleotide sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COXI gene). These results were then compared with similar sequences that had already been put in GenBank. Moreover, a molecular docking study was performed to confirm and rationalize the observed biological activity. Overall, these results suggest that C. albiceps larval extract possesses antibacterial, antioxidant, and wound-healing activities and represents a safe, natural candidate for developing novel pharmaceutical and therapeutic agents. |
