Growth of S. Epidermidis After Treatments of Red Light, Chlorophyll, and Acetic Acid

Overview

Infections caused by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus are common and dangerous, and antibiotic treatments may not be available or appropriate in all cases. This creates the need for affordable, accessible, integrative, and homeopathic treatments. Combined applications of red light therapy, acetic acid, and chlorophyll solutions present alternative methods to antibiotics to inhibit these infections. Independent and combined red light therapy and acetic acid treatments were applied at various concentrations (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of maximum irradiance/potency) on Staphylococcus epidermidis, a sister bacteria to S. aureus. In a subsequent phase, chlorophyll solutions were combined with these treatments (20%, 60%, 100% of 1600mg/mL). Data about the colony-forming unit (CFU) populations, mean radii, and zones of inhibition (ZOI) were captured and analyzed with computer software and physical measurements. Various statistical analyses of group variance and mean differences found that red light and acetic acid have inhibitory effects separately and a partial inhibitory effect when combined (both mean radius and ZOI decreased) on bacterial growth. Combination treatments of chlorophyll solutions and acetic acid were inhibitory, and ZOIs increased with the addition of red light. This study is one of the first to address the relationship between natural compounds (chlorophyll and acetic acid) and red light therapy as a method of inhibiting bacterial growth with medical potential.

Competition history

• AJAS 2026 Category not listed

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