Abstract—Snail slime contains such active substances as isolates, heparan sulfate, and calcium. The isolate content is useful as antibacterials and analgesics, while calcium plays a role in hemostasis. Snail slime has antibacterial and antiinflammatory effects and therefore the proliferation phase will heal wounds immediately. Chitosan is a biopolymer with a wide range of biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. Chitosan fibers are used as threads in surgery and are easily absorbed by the human body so that they can be used as a bandage covering the wound and medication carrier. Chitosan can be biologically degradable, is non-toxic, nonimmunogenic and biocompatible with the body tissue of mammals. Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium causing skin infection and pus formation in wound. This research aims at finding out the in vitro synergistic effects of snail slime and chitosan against Staphylococcus aureus. The research method involves isolation of snail slime, 2% chitosan synthesis, and in vitro effectiveness test using diffusion method. The research findings indicate that snail slime and 1.25% chitosan are proven to be effective bactericide against Staphylococcus aureus. The mixture of snail slime and 1.25% chitosan with ratio of 1:1 shows the synergistic effect as bactericide against Staphylococcus aureus. The research findings are expected to be applied in nursing, particularly wound treatment to prevent Staphylococcus aureus infection with natural and safe materials.
 

Index Terms—Chitosan, in vitro, snail slime, Staphylococcus aureus, synergistic

Cite: Agnes Sri Harti, Estuningsih, Heni Nur Kusumawati, Siswiyanti, and Arum Setyaningtyas, "In Vitro Synergistic Effects of Snail Slime and Chitosan against Staphylococcus aureus," International Journal of Pharma Medicine and Biological Sciences, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 137-141, April 2016. 10.18178/ijpmbs.5.2.137-141