The first explanation of the antibacterial activity of honey was reported in 1892 by Van Ketel [10]. Manuka honey originates from the manuka tree (Leptospermum scoparium) and its antimicrobial effect has been attributed to a property referred to as Unique Manuka Factor that is absent in other types of honey. It is now understood that honey is not just sugar syrup with certain physical properties that make … Antibacterial effects of honey – experiment, Published 30 May 2008, Updated 28 May 2015. The method involves preparing two-fold dilutions of honey in a broth and dispensing them to tubes (macrodilution version) or to 96-well microtiter plates (microdilution version). The antibacterial effects of honey have been known in practical terms for over a hundred years in the absence of a proper understanding of their specific mechanisms of action. According to some studies, honey has been shown to possess a high level of phenolic compounds which might contribute to its antibacterial activity. To illustrate this, Lachman et al., evaluated the total polyphenol content of honey varieties harvested in the period from May to August 2006 and found the highest TP acid content occurred in the honey collected at the beginning of June (on average 170.21 mg/Kg) and July (on average 163.32 mg/Kg), whereas it was much lower in samples (83.60 mg/Kg) collected during the other months [53]. The MIC … By using a series of different concentrations of honey within the broth or agar, it is possible to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for each type of honey studied [10]. A similar range of hydrogen peroxide concentrations (1 mM to 2.5 mM) was enough to kill E. coli in 15 minutes [47, 48]. More recently, honey has been reported to have an inhibitory effect on approximately 60 species of bacteria, including aerobes and anaerobes, gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria [ 5 ]. Methylglyoxal (MGO; CH3-CO-CH=O or C3H4O2) is also an important constituent of honey that has recently been shown to contribute to its antibacterial activity with a minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of 1.1 mM when tested against E. coli and S. aureus [60]. including antibacterial, antifungal, antidiabetic, anticancer and antiviral activities [7]. It is produced enzymatically in honey and can be an important feature in its antibacterial activity. Gentamicin at the concentration of 4 µg/ml killed 70% of S. aureus after 30 min and 88% after one hour, whereas the percentage increased when a combination of honey and gentamicin was used (92% and 93% at 30 minutes and one hour, respectively) [72]. Antibacterial activity of Manuka honey has been documented for several bacterial pathogens, however there is no information on Clostridium difficile, an important nosocomial … Inhibine is a term that has been used to define the antibacterial agent in honey, with the “inhibine number” being used to describe the degree of dilution to which a particular type of honey keeps its antibacterial activity. Some novel agents have been approved as therapeutic alternatives for treatment against antibiotic-resistant bacteria on the basis of their in vitro and in vivo efficacy. This indicates that obviously much lower than the 29% honey that would be required if the effect was based solely on water activity [35, 36]. It is evident that many different kinds of honey can be found around the world and as different regions will have different flora, this will influence the production and activity of different sorts of honey. Honey prevents microbial growth through the use of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), methylglyoxal (MGO), bee defensin-1, flavonoids, and a relatively low pH (~3.3) 13. Dihydroxyacetone is a substance that occurs at high levels in the nectar from which Manuka honey is made. Even if honey is natural, it is no better than ordinary white or brown sugar for … Honey has a high sugar content, which has an osmotic effect, drawing water from bacterial cells and dehydrating them. In general, honeys might be classified to two groups: honeys whose activity is hydrogen-peroxide dependent (honeys of American, European, and some Asian origin) and honeys whose activity depends on the presence of methylglyoxal, like New Zealand Manuka honey. MIC is used to determine the in vitro activity of an antibacterial substance and can be defined as the lowest concentration of an antibacterial agent that will inhibit the visible growth of microorganisms after an overnight incubation [31]. A. Al-Jabri, B. Nzeako, Z. Al Mahrooqi, A. Al Naqdy, and H. Nsanze, “In vitro antibacterial activity of Omani and African honey,”, A. Alnaqdy, A. Al-Jabri, Z. Infected mice have been used to study the effect of honey on wound infection. Copyright © 2019 Najla A. Albaridi. This demonstrates the wide range of compounds that could contribute to the antibacterial properties of honey. S. aureus needs an aw of lower than 0.86 for complete inhibition which is equivalent to a concentration of honey of 29% (v/v) [10]. Another aspect of the studies was susceptibility of different bacteria to honey. Wilkinson and Cavanagh investigated the antibacterial activity of 13 honey varieties against E. coli and P. aeruginosa. Blossom honey should have a G + F of 60 g/100 g or higher, whereas in honeydew honey, the G + F content is much lower at 45 g/100 g with a F/G average ratio of between 1.2 and 1.3 [19, 20]. Honey inhibine number and its relationship with honey concentration. Manuka honey is considered to have a unique factor (unique Manuka factor (UMF)) responsible for its antibacterial activity, and this is considered to be MGO. The main enzymes in honey are invertase (saccharase) and diastase (amylase) which are introduced to honey by bees. Najla A. Albaridi, "Antibacterial Potency of Honey", International Journal of Microbiology, vol. In a comparative study of the activities of Manuka honey and Malaysian Tualang honey (Koompassia excelsa) against an extensive spectrum of microorganisms, Tan et al., found that MICs of Tualang honey ranged between 8.75% and 25% which means that Tualang honey has a similar antibacterial activity to Manuka honey with therefore potential for use used for the same medical purposes [68]. 2019, Article ID 2464507, 10 pages, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/2464507, 1Divisions of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. These enzymes have been studied and have been shown to contain similar properties of antibiotics. There are several other methods that have been used to measure the antibacterial activity of honey. Another advantage is that so consumed, honey destroys a considerable percentage of pathogenic flora in the mouth, the throat, nasal passages and the larynx. These terms were coined by Dold and Witzenhausen in 1955 and involve the formation of a scale of 1 to 5 equal to honey dilutions in 5% steps, from 25% to 5% (w/v) (Table 1). After analysis, the scientists concluded that the vast majority of honey's antibacterial properties come from that protein. It has been used for several centuries in many countries as a treatment of disease, even before knowledge existed on the causes of infection. An equivalent activity could be made by using a 15–30% honey dilution which contains similar amounts of MGO. All samples were tested at different concentrations (0.1%, 1%, 5%, 10%, and 20% (w/v)). Indeed, the maximum level of hydrogen peroxide produced can be obtained from a 30–50% honey dilution [10], potentially ranging between 5 and 100 µg H2O2/g honey (which is equivalent to ∼0.146–2.93 mM) [30]. Castle, “Re-examining the role of hydrogen peroxide in bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities of honey,”, K. Brudzynski and R. Lannigan, “Mechanism of honey bacteriostatic action against MRSA and VRE involves hydroxyl radicals generated from honey’s hydrogen peroxide,”, N. Al-Waili, A. Protein content in honey is very low and ranges between 0.1 and 0.5%. Bees collect many materials to produce honey, including nectar, volatiles essential oils, pollen, and propolis, and these various botanical origins will also affect the composition of honey [11]. in 2005 which characterised the effect of honey on the adherence of Salmonella to intestinal epithelial cells showed that a honey dilution of 1 : 8 reduced the adherence from 25.6 ± 6.5 to 6.7 ± 3.3 bacteria per epithelial cell [73]. Honey type also has an effect on its phenolic content. It is important to note, however, that in this assay the effective antibacterial concentration can be lower than the concentration applied to the agar due to honey’s dilution during diffusion [10]. Antibiotic resistance and chronic wound infections have increased the interest in antimicrobial treatments, including honey-based wound care products, and these have been registered with medical regulatory authorities as wound care agents in many countries, among others, the European Union, USA, and New Zealand. In case of raw honey-2, the maximum inhibition as produced by extracts was observed against S. typhi (31.18 mm zone size)> P. aeruginosa(26.00 mm zone size)