Are there feasible prospects for manuka honey as an alternative to conventional antimicrobials?

Cooper, Rose; Jenkins, Rowena

doi:10.1586/eri.12.46

Cited by 25 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…There are a number of medicinal honey products on the market that use manuka honey from New Zealand, or the Australian equivalent produced from other Leptospermum species. However, despite being registered with medical regulatory authorities as wound care agents in Australia, Canada, the European Union, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the USA, their use in mainstream medicine remains limited [7], largely due to a lack of understanding of all of the mechanisms by which Leptospermum honey kills pathogens. The growing crisis of antibiotic resistance [8] has revived interest in the clinical use of honey, particularly in wound care and its efficacy against drug-resistant pathogens.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Antibacterial Activity of Australian Leptospermum Honey Correlates with Methylglyoxal Levels

et al. 2016

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Most commercially available therapeutic honey is derived from flowering Leptospermum scoparium (manuka) plants from New Zealand. Australia has more than 80 Leptospermum species, and limited research to date has found at least some produce honey with high non-peroxide antibacterial activity (NPA) similar to New Zealand manuka, suggesting Australia may have a ready supply of medical-grade honey. The activity of manuka honey is largely due to the presence of methylglyoxal (MGO), which is produced non-enzymatically from dihydroxyacetone (DHA) present in manuka nectar. The aims of the current study were to chemically quantify the compounds contributing to antibacterial activity in a collection of Australian Leptospermum honeys, to assess the relationship between MGO and NPA in these samples, and to determine whether NPA changes during honey storage. Eighty different Leptospermum honey samples were analysed, and therapeutically useful NPA was seen in samples derived from species including L. liversidgei and L. polygalifolium. Exceptionally high levels of up to 1100 mg/kg MGO were present in L. polygalifolium honey samples sourced from the Northern Rivers region in NSW and Byfield, QLD, with considerable diversity among samples. There was a strong positive relationship between NPA and MGO concentration, and DHA was present in all of the active honey samples, indicating a potential for ongoing conversion to MGO. NPA was stable, with most samples showing little change following seven years of storage in the dark at 4°C. This study demonstrates the potential for Australian Leptospermum honey as a wound care product, and argues for an extension of this analysis to other Leptospermum species.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Antibacterial Activity of Australian Leptospermum Honey Correlates with Methylglyoxal Levels

et al. 2016

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“…There are a number of medicinal honey products on the market in the form of ointments, creams and impregnated gels. However their use in mainstream medicine remains limited [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of New Zealand Kanuka, Manuka and Clover Honeys on Bacterial Growth Dynamics and Cellular Morphology Varies According to the Species

et al. 2013

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Treatment of chronic wounds is becoming increasingly difficult due to antibiotic resistance. Complex natural products with antimicrobial activity, such as honey, are now under the spotlight as alternative treatments to antibiotics. Several studies have shown honey to have broad-spectrum antibacterial activity at concentrations present in honey dressings, and resistance to honey has not been attainable in the laboratory. However not all honeys are the same and few studies have used honey that is well defined both in geographic and chemical terms. Here we have used a range of concentrations of clover honey and a suite of manuka and kanuka honeys from known geographical locations, and for which the floral source and concentration of methylglyoxal and hydrogen peroxide potential were defined, to determine their effect on growth and cellular morphology of four bacteria: Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. While the general trend in effectiveness of growth inhibition was manuka>manuka-kanuka blend>kanuka>clover, the honeys had varying and diverse effects on the growth and cellular morphology of each bacterium, and each organism had a unique response profile to these honeys. P. aeruginosa showed a markedly different pattern of growth inhibition to the other three organisms when treated with sub-inhibitory concentrations of honey, being equally sensitive to all honeys, including clover, and the least sensitive to honey overall. While hydrogen peroxide potential contributed to the antibacterial activity of the manuka and kanuka honeys, it was never essential for complete growth inhibition. Cell morphology analysis also showed a varied and diverse set of responses to the honeys that included cell length changes, cell lysis, and alterations to DNA appearance. These changes are likely to reflect the different regulatory circuits of the organisms that are activated by the stress of honey treatment.

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“…4,11,80,94,102,117,188,195,221,224,226,227,241,243,246,247, Some monofloral honeys are more potent than others in terms of antibacterial activity, 44,117,226,261,[274][275][276] and some pathogens are more sensitive than others to a certain monofloral honey. Various types of honeys have been shown to have antibacterial activity, in vitro, against the following bacterial species: Acinetobacter baumannii, Alcaligenes faecalis, Aeromonas hydrophila, Bacillus cereus, B. subtilis, Burkholderia cepacia, Campylobacter spp, Citrobacter freundii, Erwinia carotovora, Enterobacter aerogenes, Enterobacter cloacae, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia coli, cotrimoxasole-resistant E. coli, extended-spectrum b-lactamase-producing E. coli, E. coli O157:H7; Haemophilus influenzae, Helicobacter pylori, Klebsiella oxytoca, K. pneumoniae, Klebsiella sp, Listeria monocytogenes, Micrococcus luteus, Mycobacterium phlei, Proteus sp (P. mirabilis and P. vulgaris), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, ciprofloxacin-resistant P. aeruginosa, Salmonella california, Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella typhimurium, Serratia marcescens, Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella sonnei, coagulase-negative staphylococci, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant S. aureus, S. epidermidis, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Streptococcus hemolyticus group B, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus pyogenes, Yersinia enterocolitica, and several multidrug-resistant bacterial isolates.…”

Section: Antibacterial Activity Of Honey and Honey Componentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because various honeys may vary greatly in their antibacterial potency, 274 Because various honeys may vary greatly in their antibacterial potency, 274 …”

Section: End Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antimicrobial Properties of Honey

Israili¹

2014

American Journal of Therapeutics

181

144

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Honey has been widely accepted as food and medicine by all generations, traditions, and civilizations, both ancient and modern. For at least 2700 years, honey has been used by humans to treat a variety of ailments through topical application, but only recently have the antiseptic and antimicrobial properties of honey been discovered. Honey has been reported to be effective in a number of human pathologies. Clinical studies have demonstrated that application of honey to severely infected cutaneous wounds rapidly clears infection from the wound and improves tissue healing. A large number of in vitro and limited clinical studies have confirmed the broad-spectrum antimicrobial (antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antimycobacterial) properties of honey, which may be attributed to the acidity (low pH), osmotic effect, high sugar concentration, presence of bacteriostatic and bactericidal factors (hydrogen peroxide, antioxidants, lysozyme, polyphenols, phenolic acids, flavonoids, methylglyoxal, and bee peptides), and increase in cytokine release, and to immune modulating and anti-inflammatory properties of honey; the antimicrobial action involves several mechanisms. Despite a large amount of data confirming the antimicrobial activity of honey, there are no studies that support the systemic use of honey as an antibacterial agent.

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Are there feasible prospects for manuka honey as an alternative to conventional antimicrobials?

Cited by 25 publications

References 17 publications

The Antibacterial Activity of Australian Leptospermum Honey Correlates with Methylglyoxal Levels

The Antibacterial Activity of Australian Leptospermum Honey Correlates with Methylglyoxal Levels

The Effect of New Zealand Kanuka, Manuka and Clover Honeys on Bacterial Growth Dynamics and Cellular Morphology Varies According to the Species

Antimicrobial Properties of Honey

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