Abstract
Introduction: Antibiotic resistance in clinical aspect is a concern. The human amniotic membrane
(AM) has antimicrobial effects mostly because of peptides such as alafin and HBDs.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate antimicrobial effects of AM on some standard
strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC27853, Salmonella enterica BAA-708, Escherichia coli
ATCC25922, Klebsiella pneumonia ATCC7881, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC29212 and in vivo study
on Pseudomonas keratitis.
Materials and Methods: AM with and without antibiotic cocktail were prepared from Imam Khomeini
hospital of Tehran and cut into 1.5×1.5 cm. The 0.5 McFarland suspension of strains was prepared
and cultured on plate media and then both types of membranes were put on cultures. The effect
of environmental factors (temperature, time and pH) was considered. In laboratory animal model,
keratitis was made in 14 rabbits and they were divided into two control and AM groups. The membrane
was bound to the control group. The infiltration wound diameter was measured.
Results: The growth inhibition by cocktail membrane occurred in 5 strains, but membrane without
cocktail could not inhibit the growth of K. pneumonia and E. faecalis in vitro. Time and pH conferred
no antimicrobial effects, while temperature showed an effect on P. aeruginosa. The decrease in the
infiltration in the membrane group was significant compared to the control group P<0.05).
Conclusion: The AM has antimicrobial properties and can be used alongside antibiotics for the
treatment purposes.