The prevention and control of infection by resistant pathogens has become a formidable challenge due to the increasing resistance of pathogens to antibiotics, indicating the urgent need for new effective antimicrobial agents. Probiotic is a potential antibacterial drug that can address pathogenic infections. In this study, the antibacterial formulation consisting of honey and Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) was investigated the optimal antibacterial formulation, in vitro antibacterial effect and mechanism, as well as their effect on the healing of infected wounds in rat whole skin. The results of in vitro experiments showed that the optimal antibacterial formulation of honey and L. plantarum was: honey 10% + L. plantarum 1×109 CFU/mL. In vitro counts showed that the formulation inhibited more than 80% of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) after 24 h of action. In addition, live bacterial counts and growth curves indicate that L. plantarum used honey to promote its own growth and produce acids to inhibit the survival of pathogenic bacteria and biofilm formation(P < 0.001). Furthermore, in vivo results reviewed that the honey- L. plantarum formulation inhibited wound bacterial growth(P < 0.01) and increased wound epithelial granulation tissue formation to accelerate skin wound healing in a rat bacterial infection wound model. Overall, these findings suggest that the honey- L. plantarum formulation provides a new option for the treatment of pathogenic infections and wound healing, which sheds new light on the search for alternatives to antibiotics in the future.

Prevention and control of infections have become a formidable challenge due to the increasing resistance of pathogens to antibiotics. Probiotics have been discovered to have positive effects on the host, and it is well-known that some Lactobacilli are effective in treating and preventing inflammatory and infectious diseases. In this study, we developed an antibacterial formulation consisting of honey and Lactobacillus plantarum (honey–L. plantarum). The optimal formulation of honey (10%) and L. plantarum (1 × 109 CFU/mL) was used to investigate its antimicrobial effect and mechanism in vitro, and its healing effect on wound healing of whole skin infections in rats. Biofilm crystalline violet staining and fluorescent staining results indicated that the honey–L. plantarum formulation prevented the biofilm formation in Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and increased the number of dead bacteria in the biofilms. Further mechanism studies revealed that the honey–L. plantarum formulation may inhibit biofilm formation by upregulating biofilm-related genes (icaA, icaR, sigB, sarA, and agrA) and downregulating quorum sensing (QS) associated genes (lasI, lasR, rhlI, rhlR, and pqsR). Furthermore, the honey–L. plantarum formulation decreased the number of bacteria in the infected wounds of rats and accelerated the formation of new connective tissue to promote wound healing. Our study suggests that the honey–L. plantarum formulation provides a promising option for the treatment of pathogenic infections and wound healing.

Prevention and control of infections have become a formidable challenge due to the increasing resistance of pathogens to antibiotics. Probiotics have been discovered to have positive effects on the host, and it is well-known that some Lactobacilli are effective in treating and preventing inflammatory and infectious diseases. In this study, we developed an antibacterial formulation consisting of honey and Lactobacillus plantarum (honey-L. plantarum). The optimal formulation of honey (10%) and L. plantarum (1×109 CFU/mL) was used to investigate its antimicrobial effect and mechanism in vitro, and its healing effect on wound healing of whole skin infections in rats. Biofilm crystalline violet staining and fluorescent staining results indicated that the honey-L. plantarum formulation prevented the biofilm formation in Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and increased the number of dead bacteria in the biofilms. Further mechanism studies revealed that the honey-L. plantarum formulation may inhibit biofilm formation by upregulating biofilm-related genes (icaA, icaR, sigB, sarA, and agrA) and downregulating quorum sensing (QS) associated genes (lasI, lasR, rhlI, rhlR, and pqsR). The growth curve implied that L. plantarum may have used honey to produce active antibacterial substances. Furthermore, the honey-L. plantarum formulation decreased the number of bacteria in the infected wounds of rats and accelerated the formation of new connective tissue to promote wound healing. Our study suggests that the honey-L. plantarum formulation provides a promising option for the treatment of pathogenic infections and wound healing.