In general, honey is used in our kitchens as a food ingredient, rich in specific properties, but there is also a monofloral honey, Manuka honey,which has recently been the subject of research in many scientific laboratories for its unique properties, especially its antimicrobial activity.
The reason for studying the antibacterial properties of honey is to find safe and natural antibiotics.
In this 2018 review, the authors focused specifically on Manuka honey, which could in fact be used as a natural antibiotic and as an alternative medicine.
This review provides a clear position: the importance of honey for medicinal purposes cannot be underestimated. Research data confirmed that the antibacterial activity of Manuka honey, compared with other types of honey, is due to a higher content of phenols and methylglyoxal.
Manuka honey can be safely used as an alternative natural antibiotic, exerting a stimulating effect on macrophages to release mediators necessary for tissue healing and reduction of microbial infection.Unique Manuka Factor (UMF), which depends on the methylglyoxal content, is also important for the antibacterial activity of honey.
Manuka honey also has the ability to release hydrogen peroxide, an important factor that helps reduce bacterial activity, making this honey particularly effective against resistant microorganisms such as S. aureus and P. aeruginosa.
The medicinal properties of honey derive from bioactive compounds in plant nectar that make honey a natural antimicrobial agent by allowing it to inhibit the growth of various harmful microorganisms.
This bee product, therefore, has been found to be particularly useful in wound care, treatment of burns, and in supporting the health of the immune system. In summary, Manuka honey is a natural and safe antibiotic, since no published literature reports bacterial resistance in its conflons, and this is, attributed to the complexity of the honey’s components that act both individually and synergistically with other components.
Therefore, based on these findings , it would be interesting to initiate further research evaluating the possible synergy between Manuka honey of different UMF values with commercial antibiotics to establish an alternative approach in the treatment of infections with antibiotic-resistant microorganisms.
Reference
Matthew Johnston, Michael McBride, Divakar Dahiya, Richard Owusu-Apenten and Poonam Singh Nigam. Antibacterial activity of Manuka honey and its components: An overview. AIMS Microbiology, 4(4): 655-664. DOI: 10.3934/microbiol.2018.4.655
