The overuse of
antibiotics has contributed to the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, which poses a challenging task for clinical
therapy. Thus, new agents with
antibiotic efficacy against multidrug-resistant
infections are needed. The traditional Dong ethnic minority medicines have emerged as a new source for
prodrug selection. Among them, Madeng'ai (PotentillafreynianaBornm) is widely used by the folk for anti-
infection and wound healing, although the mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, the antimicrobial activities of Dong medicine Madeng'ai were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. S. aureus, E. coli, E. faecalis, P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae, and A. baumannii were cultured in LB media, different concentrations of Madeng'ai
powder solution were added to the LB
agar plates to evaluate minimal inhibitory concentration. An animal study was performed on a mouse excisional
wound model combined with bacterial
solution injection in the
wound area. After Madeng'ai or PBS treatment,
hematoxylin and
eosin analysis were used for pathological analysis of skin tissues from the infected area. Madeng'ai
powder solution over 2 mg/mL concentration completely inhibited E. coli growth. At 4.0 mg/mL, Madeng'ai significantly inhibited the growth of E. faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAE), Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Acinetobacter baumannii. The mouse model revealed that Madeng'ai could suppress the growth of MRSA and PAE and accelerate healing of cutaneous
wounds. Madeng'ai, a newly discovered Dong ethnic minority medicine possesses considerable antimicrobial activity against both human normal pathogenic bacteria and multiresistance bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, S. aureus, and Acinetobacter baumannii. Therefore, Madeng'ai has great potential for further study and clinical application.