The medical industry is currently experiencing a deficit of effective therapies to prevent infections, as the evolu
tion 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 com
pounds, most with known antimicrobial properties. Molecular docking studies confirmed stable interactions be
tween these compounds and key bacterial protein targets, supporting the observed bioactivity. As part of the ge
netic diversity, larval samples were identified by nucleotide sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxi
dase 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 biolog
ical 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 thera
peutic agents |
