In vivo effect of bromelain from Ananas comosus on Staphylococcus aureus skin infection in an animal model
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.main##
Abstract
The skin is the largest organ in the body and aids in protection against foreign microorganisms. Any physical changes to the skin structure would eventually promote microbial colonization that leads to soft tissue and skin infections. This study was conducted to establish the effectiveness of bromelain extraction from Ananas comosus in treating Staphylococcus aureus skin infections in BALB/c mice. A total of 18 male mice aged 9 - 12 weeks were divided into three groups: bromelain-treated, iodine-treated, and negative control groups. The skin infection was inflicted on the dorsal area of the mouse by first removing the hair and applying the tape-stripping method before inoculating it with S. aureus. The microbial samples from the infected skins of the mice were collected on days 1, 4, and 7 after infection using a Q-Swab apparatus and streaked on blood agar. The samples were incubated at 37°C for 24 h and the S. aureus colony formation unit (CFU) from each group was calculated. The results indicated that mice treated with bromelain had a lower average number of S. aureus CFU (2.55x10-2 CFU/mL) compared with iodine-treated mice (1.56x10-2 CFU/mL) and had a significantly different count compared with the negative control group (8.24x10-2 CFU/ml) on day 7 post-infection. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Student’s t-test for significant differences with p<0.05. In conclusion, the findings of this study showed that bromelain can be developed and applied as an antimicrobial agent against S. aureus skin infection.
Downloads
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.details##
Copyright (c) 2025 Siti Nur Atikah Zul, Mohd Shazwan Shazdee Wahab, Elysha Nur Ismail, Reezal Ishak

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References
Zaid NAM, Sekar M, Bonam SR, Gan SH, Lum PT, Begun MY, Rani NNI, Vaijanathappa J, Wu YS, Subramaniyan V, Fuloria NK, Fuloria S. Promising natural products in new drug design, development, and therapy for skin disorders: An overview of scientific evidence and understanding their mechanism of action. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2022:16:23-66. https://doi.org/10.2147/DDDT.S326332
Fölster-Holst R. The role of the skin microbiome in atopic dermatitis – correlations and consequences. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2022;20(5):571-577. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddg.14709
Linz MS, Mattappallil A, Finkel D, Parker D. Clinical impact of Staphylococcus aureus skin and soft tissue infections. Antibiotics (Basel). 2023;12(3):557. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12030557
Ghafar ASA, Wahab MSS, Ismail EN, Ishak R. In vivo application of Oreochromis niloticus scales collagen as alternative wound healing therapy. J Med Phar Allied Sci. 2022;11(5):5298-5303. https://doi.org/10.55522/jmpas.V11I5.4138.
Ajayi AM, Coker AI, Oyebanjo OT, et al. Ananas comosus (L) merrill (Pineapple) fruit peel extract demonstrates antimalarial, anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities in experimental models. J Ethnopharmacol. 2022:282:114576. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.jep.2021.114576
Marzaman ANF, Roska TP, Sartini S, Utami RN, Sulistiawati S, Enggi CK, Manggau MA, Rahman L, Shastri VP, Permana AD. Recent advances in pharmaceutical approaches of antimicrobial agents for selective delivery in various administration routes. Antibiotics (Besel). 2023;12(5):822. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12050822
Kumar V, Mangla B, Javed S, Ahsan W, Kumar P, Garg V, Dureja H. Bromelain: A review of its mechanisms, pharmacological effects and potential applications. Food & function. 2023;14(18):8101-8128. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3fo01060k
Gan T, Shu G, Fu H, et al. Antimicrobial resistance and genotyping of Staphylococcus aureus obtained from food animals in sichuan province, China. BMC Vet Res. 2021;17(1):177. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-021-02884-z
Ulhaq ZS, Istifiani IA, Pamungkas SA, Santosanigsih D. Subunit 76-kDa Surface protein of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is potentially useful for mrsa diagnostic tool. Medicine in Microecology. 2024;20:100103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medmic.2024.100103
Rathnavelu V, Alitheen NB, Sohila S, Kanagesan S, Ramesh R. Potential role of bromelain in clinical and therapeutic applications. biomedical reports. Biomed Rep. 2016;5(3):283-288. https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2016.720
Hikisz P, Bernasinska-slomczewska J. Beneficial properties of bromelain. Nutrients. 2021;13(12):4313. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13124313
Varilla C, Marcone M, Paiva L, Baptista J. Bromelain, a group of pineapple proteolytic complex enzymes (Ananas comosus) and their possible therapeutic and clinical effects. A Summary. Foods. 2021;10(10):2249. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10102249
Hikal W, Mahmoud A, Said-Al Ahl H, Bratovcic A, Tkachenko K, Kacanniova M, Rodriguez R. Pineapple (Ananas comosus L. Merr.), waste streams, characterisation and valorisation: An overview. Open J Ecol. 2021;11:610-634. https://doi.org/10.4236/oje.2021.119039.
Fissore A, Marengo M, Santoro V, Grillo G, Oliaro-Bosso S, Cravotto G, Dal Piaz F, Adinolfi S. Extraction and characterization of bromelain from pineapple core: A strategy for pineapple waste valorization. Processes. 2023;11(7):2064. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11072064
Mostafa HS. Banana plant as a source of valuable antimicrobial compounds and its current applications in the food sector. J Food Sci. 2021;86(9):3778-97. https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.15854
Agrawal P, Nikhade P, Patel A, Mankar N, Sedani S. Bromelain: A potent phytomedicine. Cureus. 2022;14(8): e27876. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.27876
Ramli ANM, Manas NHA, Hamid AAA, Hamid HA, Illias RM. Comparative structural analysis of fruit and stem bromelain from Ananas comosus. Food Chemistry. 2018; 266:183-191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.05.125
Varilla C, Marcone M, Paiva L, Baptista J. Bromelain, a group of pineapple proteolytic complex enzymes (Ananas comosus) and their possible therapeutic and clinical effects. A Summary. Foods. 2021;10(10):2249. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10102249
Leelakanok N, Petchsomrit A, Janurai T, Saechan C, Sunsandee N. Efficacy and safety of bromelain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutr Health. 2023 Sep;29(3):479-503. https://doi.org/10.1177/02601060231173732
Pavan R, Jain SK, Shrivastava S. Properties and therapeutic application of bromelain: a review. Biotechnol Res Int. 2012:2012:976203. https://doi.org/10.5402/2012/976203
Maurer HR. Bromelain: Biochemistry, pharmacology and medical use. cellular and molecular. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2001;58(9):1234-45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-001-9030-2
Cheung AI, Bayer AS., Zhang G, Gresham H, Xiong YQ. Regulation of virulence determinants in vitro and in vivo in Staphylococcus aureus. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 2004;40(1):1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0928-8244(03)00309-2
Jiang J-H, Cameron DR, Nethercott C, Aires-de-Sousa M, Peleg AY. Virulence Attributes of successful Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus lineages. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2023;36(4):e0014822. https://doi.org/10.1128/cmr.00148-22
Fernández-Fernández R, Lozano C, Reuben RC, Ruiz-Ripa L, Zarazaga M, Torres C. Comprehensive approaches for the search and characterization of staphylococcins. Microorganisms. 2023;11(5):1329. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11051329
Zharfan RS, Purwono PB, Mustika A. Antimicrobial activity of pineapple (Ananas comosus L. Merr) extract against multidrug-resistant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: An in vitro study. Indonesian J. Tropical Infectious Disease. 2017;6(5):118-123. https://doi.org/10.20473/ijtid.v6i5.4159
Zakaria A, Jais MR, Ishak R. Analgesic properties of Nigella sativa and Eucheuma cottonii extract. J Nat Sci Biol Med. 2018;9(1):23-26. https://doi.org/10.4103/jnsbm.JNSBM_131_17
Jancic U, Gorgieva S. Bromelain and nisin: The natural antimicrobials with high potential in biomedicine. Pharmaceutics. 2021;14(1):76. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14010076
Abbas S, Shanbhag T, Kothare A. Applications of bromelain from pineapple waste towards acne. Saudi J Biol Sci. 2021;28(1):1001-1009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2020.11.032
Siti Nur Atikah Zul
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8831-6430