Laevicaulis alte slug extract: Investigation of antibacterial and wound-healing properties, chemical profiling, and molecular docking insights

Abstract

<title>Abstract</title> Wound infections, particularly those caused by bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus, present a significant challenge to effective healing, often leading to chronic inflammation and tissue damage. Finding naturally active, new substances and applying them as wound healing agents to decrease bacterial infection and accelerate the wound healing is among the most significant areas of research. This study explored the therapeutic potential of a chloroform extract from the terrestrial slug Laevicaulis alte as a multi-functional agent for wound care. The investigation inte-grated chemical profiling by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), in vitro antibacterial evaluation, an in vivo excisional wound healing model, and in silico molecular docking to elucidate its mechanisms of action. GC-MS analysis identified twelve compounds, with tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl) phosphate (TDTBPP) and cholesterol as major constituents. The extract exhibited potent antibacterial activity against S. aureus with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.625 mg/mL. In vivo, topical application of the extract significantly accelerated wound closure, reduced the cutaneous bacterial load, and orchestrated a balanced host immune response by decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6) while increasing the an-ti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Molecular docking studies provided a strong mechanistic rationale for these observations, revealing that key compounds, particularly TDTBPP and a phenol phosphite derivative, showed high binding affinities for both bacterial DNA gyrase and the critical cytokine targets. These findings indicate that the L. alte extract is a promising, multi-functional therapeutic agent, whose efficacy stems from a synergistic chemical consortium that targets both the pathogen and the host's inflammatory response.