The Antimicrobial Effects of Saudi Sumra Honey against Drug Resistant Pathogens: Phytochemical Analysis, Antibiofilm, Anti-Quorum Sensing, and Antioxidant Activities

Abstract

Honey exhibited potential antimicrobial activity against multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria that continues to be a serious health problem. We reported the in-vitro activity of Saudi Sumra honey against clinical pathogenic bacteria and fungi, antibiofilm, anti-quorum-sensing (QS) and antioxidant activities in relation to its phytochemical composition assessed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Broth dilution method and scavenging activities against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and β-carotene bleaching assays were performed. The GC-MS analysis of Sumra honey showed that 2,4-dihydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furan-3-one 1-methylcyclopropanemethanol were the major identified phytoconstituents. Sumra honey showed a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at 300 mg/mL, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (250 mg/mL), Escherichia coli (350 mg/mL) and Acinetobacter baumannii (250 mg/mL); clinical fungal isolates—Candida auris (600 mg/mL) and Cryptococcus neoformans (>1000 mg/mL); wild type fungal isolates—Candida krusei (>1000 mg/mL) and Candida albicans (700 mg/mL). In addition, Sumra honey demonstrated promising inhibition targeting biofilm formation by 59% for Bacillus subtilis, 48% for S. aureus, 38% for E. coli, and 33.63% for P. aeruginosa. The violacein production in Chromobacterium violaceum was reduced to 68%, whereas pyocyanin production in P. aeruginosa was reduced to 54.86% at ½ MIC. Furthermore, Sumra honey exhibited strong antioxidant activities (DPPH − IC50 = 7.7 mg/mL; ABTS − IC50 = 5.4 mg/mL; β-carotene − IC50 = >20 mg/mL). Overall, obtained data highlighted the promising potential therapeutic use of Sumra honey treating infections caused by MDR bacteria and fungi. Moreover, Sumra honey can be a good candidate as an inhibitor agent for bacterial cellular communication in strains of P. aeruginosa and C. violaceum.

Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Effect of Unifloral Honeys against Bacteria Isolated from Chronic Wound Infections

“…In addition, honey contributes to absorbing wound exudate, initiating the exfoliation of wounds, and keeping the wound area moist [ 32 ]. Furthermore, it has been documented that honey can inhibit the QS system of bacterial communities [ 33 , 34 , 35 ]. Recent experiments have indicated that honey could become an effective alternative, even in the elimination of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including wound-infecting bacteria [ 36 , 37 ].…”

An Explorative Review on Advanced Approaches to Overcome Bacterial Resistance by Curbing Bacterial Biofilm Formation

“…New methods widely explored phytochemicals extracted from natural sources to prevent biofilm formation and quorum-sensing. 174 , 175 Phytochemicals, alone or in combination, have been used to repurpose old antibiotics or reduce the dose of antibiotics. 176 , 177 Human cultures have been using herbal remedies for centuries, and some of these natural products are useful in treatment and prevention.…”

Effects of Repeated in-vitro Exposure to Saudi Honey on Bacterial Resistance to Antibiotics and Biofilm Formation

“…To generate data with decent reliability and reproducibility for practical comparison, reference Gram-positive and negative bacterial strains were purchased from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) (Manassas, United Sumra and Sider honey was obtained from an authenticated company that sold honey in Al-Bah city, Saudi Arabia (Al Amari, AL-Baha, Saudi Arabia). 17 In addition, medical grade Manuka honey (Methylglyoxal 400) was purchased from MaunukaGuard (Monterey, California, USA), 9 which was utilized as a positive control. All of the obtained honey was inoculated into MHA plates and incubated at 37°C for 24 hours to ensure the absence of any contamination (a purity check), then prepared as a 90% stock solution using sterile distilled water (dH 2 O) before any experimental work was conducted.…”

“…Moreover, Saudi Sumra honey has been proven to be effective against multidrug-resistant (MDR) S. aureus, E. coli, and Candida albicans in single and/or polymicrobial cultures. 17 Although the above-mentioned studies have highlighted the promising activity of Saudi honey and its historical usage in traditional medicine to treat infectious diseases, there is a clear research gap concerning the effect of the prolonged, repeated in-vitro exposure of Saudi honey on bacterial resistance to conventional antibiotics, as well as its ability to create biofilm. This in-vitro study is essential for any potential therapeutic use of Saudi honey to treat infections caused by MDR and biofilmforming pathogenic bacteria.…”