Medical-Grade Honey as an Alternative Treatment for Antibiotics in Non-Healing Wounds—A Prospective Case Series

Holubová, Adéla; Chlupáčová, Lucie; Cetlová, Lada; Cremers, Niels A. J.; Pokorná, Andrea

doi:10.3390/antibiotics10080918

Cited by 20 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Its wound healing properties are orchestrated by multiple mechanisms. It creates a moist wound environment, promotes autolytic debridement, angiogenesis, and re-epithelialization, and reduces oxidative and inflammatory stress [31,41,[43][44][45][46]. Moreover, MGH has previously been shown to have anti-inflammatory activity, which is in line with the reduced pain and itching in the current study [41,43].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

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Medical-Grade Honey Outperforms Conventional Treatments for Healing Cold Sores—A Clinical Study

et al. 2021

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Cold sores are nasolabial blisters caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections. Novel therapies demonstrating simultaneously antiviral activity and improved wound healing are warranted. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of medical-grade honey (MGH) for treating HSV-induced cold sores. A crossover trial was performed in patients with recurrent cold sores (n = 29). The majority (65.6%) of these patients experience four or more episodes per year, thus forming a valid self-control group. In this study, patients applied an MGH-based formulation (L-Mesitran Soft) on their cold sore at the onset of symptoms (62.1%) or appearing of blister (37.9%) and compared it to their conventional treatments. After complete healing, patients filled in a questionnaire evaluating healing, pain, and itching. The average absolute healing time was 72.4% slower with conventional treatment (10.0 days) compared to MGH (5.8 days). After MGH treatment, 86.2% of all patients experienced faster objective healing (6.9% similar and 6.9% slower) and the subjective healing score was higher in 79.3% of the patients (20.7% similar). If the patients normally experience pain and itching during their cold sores, these levels were lower with MGH therapy compared to conventional treatment in 72.7% and 71.4% of the patients, respectively. Moreover, 100% of the patients prefer MGH treatment over conventional treatment and will use it again on future cold sores. MGH is a promising alternative treatment for cold sores, likely by combining both increased antiviral and wound healing activities while alleviating pain and itching.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“…Since both honey and vitamins C and E have been shown to possess antiviral activity [36][37][38][39][40], they may also help to treat cold sores. The wound healing activities of MGH are also based on multiple mechanisms, and therefore may further advance the healing of the cold sores [41,42].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medical-Grade Honey Outperforms Conventional Treatments for Healing Cold Sores—A Clinical Study

et al. 2021

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“…MGH also demonstrated a synergistic activity with the other ingredients of L-Mesitran Soft on the inhibition and eradication of biofilms [104]. Moreover, L-Mesitran Soft is effective in treating chronic wounds infected with (multi-resistant) bacteria, even when present in biofilms [65,104,111]. There is extensive evidence of the antimicrobial and wound healing properties of L-Mesitran Soft in literature, and no negative side effects or safety issues have been reported [65,[68][69][70][71]104,111,112].…”

Section: Rationale For Selecting the Mgh-based Formulationmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Moreover, L-Mesitran Soft is effective in treating chronic wounds infected with (multi-resistant) bacteria, even when present in biofilms [65,104,111]. There is extensive evidence of the antimicrobial and wound healing properties of L-Mesitran Soft in literature, and no negative side effects or safety issues have been reported [65,[68][69][70][71]104,111,112]. This should ease the registration of the product for new indications, such as RVVC, when the trial is successful.…”

Section: Rationale For Selecting the Mgh-based Formulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Treating (Recurrent) Vulvovaginal Candidiasis with Medical-Grade Honey—Concepts and Practical Considerations

Riel

Lardenoije

Oudhuis

et al. 2021

JoF

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Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC) is a relapsing vaginal fungal infection caused by Candida species. The prevalence varies among age populations and can be as high as 9%. Treatment options are limited, and in 57% of the cases, relapses occur within six months after fluconazole maintenance therapy, which is the current standard of care. The pathogenesis of RVVC is multifactorial, and recent studies have demonstrated that the vaginal microenvironment and activity of the immune system have a strong influence on the disease. Medical-grade honey (MGH) has protective, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory activity and forms a putative alternative treatment. Clinical trials have demonstrated that honey can benefit the treatment of bacterial and Candida-mediated vaginal infections. We postulate that MGH will actively fight ongoing infections; eradicate biofilms; and modulate the vaginal microenvironment by its anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and immunomodulatory properties, and subsequently may decrease the number of relapses when compared to fluconazole. The MGH formulation L-Mesitran Soft has stronger antimicrobial activity against various Candida species than its raw honey. In advance of a planned randomized controlled clinical trial, we present the setup of a study comparing L-Mesitran Soft with fluconazole and its practical considerations.

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“…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.…”

Section: Review Honey As a Wound Remedymentioning

confidence: 99%

Saudi Honey: A Promising Therapeutic Agent for Treating Wound Infections

Bazaid¹,

Aldarhami²,

Gattan³

et al. 2021

Cureus

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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.

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Medical-Grade Honey as an Alternative Treatment for Antibiotics in Non-Healing Wounds—A Prospective Case Series

Cited by 20 publications

References 41 publications

Medical-Grade Honey Outperforms Conventional Treatments for Healing Cold Sores—A Clinical Study

Medical-Grade Honey Outperforms Conventional Treatments for Healing Cold Sores—A Clinical Study

Treating (Recurrent) Vulvovaginal Candidiasis with Medical-Grade Honey—Concepts and Practical Considerations

Saudi Honey: A Promising Therapeutic Agent for Treating Wound Infections

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