Synergistic action of starch and honey against Candida albicans in correlation with diastase number

Abstract

To evaluate the synergistic action of starch on the antifungal activity of honey, a comparative method of adding honey with and without starch to culture media was used. Candida albicans has been used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of five varieties of honey. In a second step, lower concentrations of honey than the MIC were incubated with a set of concentrations of starch added to media to determine the minimum synergistic inhibitory concentration (MSIC). The MIC for the five varieties of honey without starch against C. albicans ranged between 40% and 45% (v/v). When starch was incubated with honey and then added to media, a MIC drop has been noticed with each variety. It ranged between 7% and 25%. A negative correlation has been established between the MIC drop and the diastase number (DN).

Bee-honey and yogurt: a novel mixture for treating patients with vulvovaginal candidiasis during pregnancy

“…The minimal concentration of Bee-honey required for inhibiting candida albicans was reported to range from 30.0 to 50.0% [18]. Attempts were made to increase this efficacy of Beehoney by its combination with other substance such as starch and olive oil [17,18].…”

“…Sissons et al [16] reported that Manuka honey may be of benefit in oral infections where C. albicans is prominent. Boukraa et al [17] found that the MIC of five varieties of honey against C. albicans ranged between 40 and 50% (v/v). According to Al-Waili [18], the minimum concentration of honey in nutrient agar media required to inhibit C. albicans was 66% (v/v).…”

Antifungal effect of lavender honey against Candida albicans, Candida krusei and Cryptococcus neoformans

“…To date, very few attempts have been made to assess the antifungical properties of honey (Theunissen et al 2001;Irish et al 2006;Küçük et al 2007;Boukraa et al 2008;Koc et al 2008), especially as compared to the large volume of published literature which has established that honey has significant antibacterial activity. The incidence of fungal infections is increasing in community and hospital environments (Fridkin 2005) and no other mycotic patho-gen produces as great a spectrum of opportunistic diseases in humans and animals as Candida does (Pappas et al 2003;Tortorano et al 2006).…”

Honey between Traditional Uses and Recent Medicine

“…The in vitro antimicrobial activity of honey was reported by Radwan et al [46] and by Chute et al [47], who observed that honey stopped the growth of Salmonella and Escherichia coli. Honey has been useful in the treatment of infected surgical wounds, burn wounds, and decubitus ulcers (bedsores) [48]. It maintains a moist wound environment that promotes healing, and its high viscosity helps to provide a protective barrier to prevent infection.…”