Saudi Honey: A Promising Therapeutic Agent for Treating Wound Infections.

Abdulrahman S Bazaid,Bakheet Aljuhani,Abdu Aldarhami,Hattan Gattan

doi:10.7759/cureus.18882

Abstract

Treatment of wounds, especially chronic ones, is a major challenge in healthcare, with serious clinical and economic burdens. Multiple treatment approaches, including the usage of silver and iodine, have dramatically improved wound healing and reduced the incidence of infection. However, once infected by drug-resistant bacteria, treatment of wounds becomes a serious complication, with limited availability of effective antibiotic drugs, leading to high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, alternative therapeutic agents are required to address this gap in wound management. The introduction of manuka honey as a therapeutic agent against infected wounds was the result of extensive research about its activity against both planktonic and biofilm bacterial growth. Likewise, several types of Saudi honey (e.g., Sidr and Talh) showed promising in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial activity against wound pathogens. This short review summarizes literature that investigated the activity of common types of Saudi honey in relation to wound infections and explores their clinical utility.

Highlights

BackgroundWounds can be defined as breakage or injury of the layers of the skin, leading to loss of its integrity and function [1]
The activity and level of potency of the tested types of Saudi honey were variable, the most popular varieties of Saudi honey (Sidr and Talh) showed promising broad-spectrum bacteriostatic activity, which seemed to be more potent against Gram-positive bacteria
There remains a need for focused studies to evaluate the potential prophylactic use of Saudi honey against antibioticresistant and biofilm-forming bacteria in wounds

Summary

Introduction

Wounds can be defined as breakage or injury of the (superficial or deep) layers of the skin, leading to loss of its integrity and function [1]. A type of honey from New Zealand, Manuka honey, was optimized for use as medical-grade honey for wound dressing [19] This was the result of observed antimicrobial properties of methylglyoxal, which can promote wound healing and exhibit potent activity against various planktonic and biofilm-forming Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria, including wound pathogens [19]. A recent in vivo study has shown an interesting positive impact upon the healing process of chronic wounds when treated with medical-grade honey (MGH) while the absence of any antibiotic drugs in almost all patients (eight of nine cases) [26] This is because wound odor, pain, exudation, and signs of wound infections were completely inattentive following the application of the MGH. This activity is often attributed to phenol and hydrogen peroxide, which have been found in high concentrations in these varieties of honey [35]

Conclusions

Disclosures

13. Hernandez R

Findings

21. Ventola CL