The emergence of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) necessitates the development of antibiotic alternatives. The screening of natural antibiotics with a higher therapeutic window and a low risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the aim of this study. In the current study, E. coli was isolated and purified from fresh diarrheal yak calves’ fecal samples, collected from the Linzhou area of Tibet, by the plate streaking method, biochemical testing, and PCR. Drug sensitivity assay was performed following the “Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion” protocol. Through PCR detection of various drug resistance genes and mouse pathogenicity tests, isolation of highly resistant pathogenic E. coli (LZ-2) was achieved. The water and ethanol extracts of seventeen herbs, including Caesalpinia sappan L. and Prunus mume, were prepared, and their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against resistant E. coli were estimated. The results showed that the ethanol extract of Prunus mume has significant (P<0.05) anti-E. coli effects, with a MIC of 6.25 mg/ml. In vivo results indicated that when Prunus mume (ethanol extract) was administered intragastrical, the mortality proportion and damage to the intestine, spleen, and liver due to E. coli were reduced. It also significantly (P<0.05) improved the villus length, crypt depth, villus-to-crypt ratio (V:C), the serum antioxidant enzymes levels (SOD, MDA, GSH-Px and T-AOC) and significantly (P<0.05) reduced the level of pro-inflammatory mediators (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α), concluding the significant inhibitory action of Prunus mume against multidrug-resistant E. coli, providing a potential herbal alternative to antibiotics.

To Cite This Article: Zhao C, Ali M, Zhu Z, Xu C, He Q, Liang X, Alharbi HM, Abass KS, Liu M, and Li K, xxxx. Exploring the therapeutic potential of Prunus mume ethanol extract against multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli in mice. Pak Vet J. http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2025.164