Antibacterial Mechanism of Action of Two Types of Honey against Escherichia coli through Interfering with Bacterial Membrane Permeability, Inhibiting Proteins, and Inducing Bacterial DNA Damage

Abstract

Honey is a sweet natural food produced by bees from flower nectar or some part of plant secretions that exhibit antimicrobial activity against many microorganisms. It has been used as traditional therapy for skin infections. Antibiotics play an essential role in managing wound infection; however, some pathogenic bacteria have begun to possess resistance against them, which may cause chronic infections and severe adverse effects. This study investigates the antibacterial activities and mechanism of action of Yemeni Sidr honey (SH) and Manuka honey (MH) against Escherichia coli. The inhibitory effects of SH and MH using the disk diffusion method on bacterial growth were remarkable at 700 mg/disk. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were similar for both kinds of honey. However, MH showed a better bactericidal effect (30%) than SH (50%). The antimicrobial mechanism of action showed that SH substantially impacted the bacterial membrane's permeability and increased the potassium and protein leakage rate. On the contrary, MH demonstrated remarkable inhibition of bacterial protein synthesis, while both kinds of honey caused bacterial DNA damage. These data reveal that SH and MH could be used as a remedy for skin infections and might be further developed as a promising dressing for bacterial wound infections.

Antimicrobial Activity of Honey against Oral Microorganisms: Current Reality, Methodological Challenges and Solutions

“…After six months of using the tested toothpaste, patients enrolled in this study presented reductions of 23.5%, 25.6%, and 73.3% for dental plaque, gingival index, and bleeding index outcomes, respectively [84]. Although not determined for oral bacteria, the antimicrobial mechanisms of honey include inhibition of membrane and intracellular proteins with subsequent DNA damage [85].…”

“…Taken together, the literature, including recent manuscripts, classifies honey as a functional food with antimicrobial activity [84][85][86][87][88]. However, honey's clinical efficacy and antibacterial mechanisms against oral biofilms remain poorly understood and underexplored; just a few manuscripts addresses it [84].…”

Antibacterial Properties of Manuka Honey and the Role of Methylglyoxal

“…Aside from S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, Manuka honey and MGO could also affect e. coli's cellular membrane permeability, which is closely linked with the ability of a cell to control its metabolism and energy (39). After application of MGO to a biofilm of E. coli, the quantities of potassium ions and proteins leaked from these cells increased over time, showing how MGO disrupted the cell membrane and suggesting that E. coli cells had undergone cell lysis and ultimately died (40).…”

Honey and propolis for wound healing

“…25 Antibacterial activity: Direct exposure of honey against microorganisms has multifactorial actions as, physically (free acidity 26 and hyper osmolarity since microorganisms can't survive and grow in the hypertonic sugar solution or in low pH medium). 27 Biochemically, enzymatic system (catalase, glucose oxidase and peroxidase 28 that produces continuous hydrogen per oxide 12 by glucose oxidase, an enzyme derived from the honeybee 29 and other enzymes; β-glucosidase, α/β-amylase, maltase, esterase, etc.. 30 As well as various biochemical nonenzymatic substances potent biological micro components mainly flavonoids and phenolic compounds. 31 Different flavonoids (kaempferol, quercetin, pinobanksin, chrysin, galangin, pinocembrin 32 with different antimicrobial mechanisms such as inhibition of nucleic acid synthesis 33 inhibition of cytoplasmic membrane function, inhibition of energy metabolism, inhibition of the attachment and biofilm formation, 34 inhibition of the porin on the cell membrane, alteration of the membrane permeability, and attenuation of the pathogenicity.…”