Booth Id:
MCRO028
Category:
Microbiology
Year:
2023
Finalist Names:
Romero, Andrea (School: Harvest Preparatory Academy)
Abstract:
Antibiotic resistance is one of the most urgent public health issues. To address this problem, this study investigated the possible applications of Native Sonoran Desert Plants (NSDP) against antibiotic resistance.
A tablet binder was created using extract of honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) leaves obtained using a rotary evaporator and tablets of Ampicillin and different concentrations of Prosopis glandulosa extract were produced using a manual tablet molder. Tablets with carboxymethylcellulose were used as a control. Antimicrobial assays (Kirby-Bauer and Area Coverage Analysis) were performed to test the efficiency of the tablets. Toxicity assays were also conducted. Data were analyzed using R- studio, Microsoft Excel, and Image J.
The results showed that Prosopis glandulosa increased the antibiotic effects of Ampicillin (t-test, p<0.05). Hence, Prosopis glandulosa can be used as a potential tablet binder. The bioplastic infused with NSDP extract demonstrated great antimicrobial effects against E. coli (Larrea- 94% inhibition, Prosopis- 69% inhibition).
This research presents potential applications of NSDP on mitigating antibiotic resistance.