https://doi.org/10.4081/ijwc.2020.58
Medical Honey in clinical practice: our experience in 75 treated cases
Submitted: February 18, 2020
Accepted: April 9, 2020
Published: July 24, 2020
Accepted: April 9, 2020
Abstract Views: 1816
PDF (Italiano): 582
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
At the Departmental Organizational Structure (S.O.D.) Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Clinic of Ancona, 75 patients suffering from chronic skin lesions were treated with medical honey consecutively over 24 months. The article describes the excellent results obtained in terms of reducing the healing time of the treated lesions, and describes the chemical and physical characteristics of medical honey that scientifically explain its action.
1. Alvarez-Suarez JM et al. Contribution on honey in nutrition and human health: a review. Mediterranean J of Nutrition and Metabolism, 2010; 3:15-23.
2. Majino G. Man and wound in the ancient world. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1975
3. Jones R. Honey and healing through the ages. Honey and Healing. Cardiff: s.n., 2001, p.1-4
4. Nathan C . Antibiotics at the crossroads. Nature, 2004; 431, 899-902.
5. Visweswara RP et al. Honey, propolis and Royal Jelly: a comprehensive review of their biological actions and health benefits. Hindawi ,2017.
6. Kwakmann PHS et al: Medical-grade honey enriched with antimicrobial peptides has enhanced activity against antibiotic-resistant pathogenes. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 2011;30:251-257.
7. Leher RI et al: Interaction of human defensins with E. coli: mechanism of bacterial activity. J of Clin Investigation,1989;84:553-561.
8. Kwakmann PHS et al: Medical–grade honey kills antibiotic-resistant bacteria in vitro and eradicates skin colonization. Cl Infectious Diseases, 2008;46:1677-1683.
9. Molan PC et al: The evidence supporting the use of honey as a wound dressing. The intern J of Lower Extremity Wounds, 2005;5:353-356.
10. Simon A et al: Medical honey for wound care-still the "latest resort"?, Evidence-based Complementary and alternative medicine. 2009;6:165-173.
11. Molan PC. Clinical usage of honey as a wound dressing. The intern J of Lower Extremity Wounds, 2004;13:353-356.
12. Molan PC. The antibacterial activity of honey. Bee World, 1992;73:5-28.
13. Aureli P et al. Infant botulism and honey in Europe: a commentary. The pediatric infectious disease J, 2002;21:5-28.
14. Schneider LS et al. Influence of pH on wound healing: a new prospective for wound-therapy? Arch of Dermatol Res, 2007;298:413-420.
15. Adams C et al. Isolation by HPLC and characterisation of the bioactive fraction of New Zealand manuka (leptospermum scoparium) honey. Carbohydrate Res, 2008;343:651-659.
16. Mavric E et al. Identification and quantification of methylglyoxal as the dominant antibacterial constituent of Manuka (Leptosperum scoparium) honeys from New Zealand. Molecular Nutrition and Food Res, 2008;52:483-489.
17. Fujivara S et al. A potent antibacterial protein in royal jelly. Purification and determination of the primary structure of royalisin. The J of Biol Chem, 1990;265:11333-11337.
18. Lensky Y et al. Separate protein body compartments of the worker honeybee (Apis mellifera L.). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, 1983;75:607-615.
19. Knecht D et al. Patterns of larvel food-production by hypopharyngeal glands in adult worker honey-bees. Apidologie, 1990;21:457-468.
20. Al-Waili NS et al: Honey and microbial infection: a review supporting the use of honey for microbial control. J of Med food, 2011;14:1079-1096.
21. Majtan J. Methylglyoxal-a potential risk factor of manuka honey in healing of diabetic ulcers. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2011; 2011:295494, Epub 2010 Oct 14.
22. Huang HV et al. Action of antimicrobial peptides: two-state model. Biochemistry, 2000;39:8347-8352.
23. Epand RM et al. Diversity of antimicrobial peptides and their mechanisms of action. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1999;1462:11-28.
24. Matzukaki K. Why and how are peptide-lipid interactions utilized for self-defense? Magainins and tachiplesins as archetypes. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1999;1462:1-10.
25. Devine DA et al. Cationic peptides: distribution and mechanisms of resistance. Curr Pharm Des, 2002;8:703-714.
26. Bergman A et al. Accerelation of wound healing by topical application of honey. An animal model. The Am J of Surg, 1983;145:374-376.
27. Van den Berg AJ et al. An in vitro examination of the anti-oxidant and anti-infiammatoy properties of buckwheat honey. J of Wound Care, 2008;17:172-174.
28. Bashkaran K et al. Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect of tualang honey in alkali injury on the eyes of rabbits: experimental animal study. BMC Comple and alternative Med, 2011; 11:90.
29. Aljadi AM et al. Evaluation of the phenolic contents and antioxidant capacites of two malaysan floral honeys. Food Chem, 2004;85:513-518.
30. Tonks AJ et al. Honey stimulates inflammatory cytokine production from monocytes. Cytokine, 2003;21(5):242-247.
31. Subrahmanyam M. A prospective randomised clinical and histological study of superficial burn wound healing with honey and silver sulfadiazine. Burns, 1998;24:157-161.
32. Subrahmanyam M. Topical application of honey in treatment of burns. Br J of Surg, 1991; 78:497-498.
33. Gethin G et al. Manuka honey vs hydrogel- a prospective, open label, multicentre, randomised controlled trial to compare desloughing efficacy and healing outcomes in venous ulcers. J of Clin Nurs, 2009;18:466-474.
34. Molan P et al. Honey: a biologic wound dressing. Wound, 2015;27:141-151.
35. Pasupuleti VR et al. Honey, propolis, and royal jelly: a comprehensive review of their biological actions and health benefits. Oxid Med Cell Longev, 2017; 2017:11259510 Epub 2017 Jul 26.
36. Weissenstein A et al. Medical honey and its role in paediatric patients. Br J Nurs, 2014;23 (6):S30,S32-34.
37. Postrnes T et al. The sterilization of honey with cobalt 60 gamma radiation: a study of honey spiked with spores of Clostridium botulinum and Bacillus subtilis. Experientia, 1995; 51(9-10):986-989 (experientia 1995; J Pharm 1996).
2. Majino G. Man and wound in the ancient world. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1975
3. Jones R. Honey and healing through the ages. Honey and Healing. Cardiff: s.n., 2001, p.1-4
4. Nathan C . Antibiotics at the crossroads. Nature, 2004; 431, 899-902.
5. Visweswara RP et al. Honey, propolis and Royal Jelly: a comprehensive review of their biological actions and health benefits. Hindawi ,2017.
6. Kwakmann PHS et al: Medical-grade honey enriched with antimicrobial peptides has enhanced activity against antibiotic-resistant pathogenes. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 2011;30:251-257.
7. Leher RI et al: Interaction of human defensins with E. coli: mechanism of bacterial activity. J of Clin Investigation,1989;84:553-561.
8. Kwakmann PHS et al: Medical–grade honey kills antibiotic-resistant bacteria in vitro and eradicates skin colonization. Cl Infectious Diseases, 2008;46:1677-1683.
9. Molan PC et al: The evidence supporting the use of honey as a wound dressing. The intern J of Lower Extremity Wounds, 2005;5:353-356.
10. Simon A et al: Medical honey for wound care-still the "latest resort"?, Evidence-based Complementary and alternative medicine. 2009;6:165-173.
11. Molan PC. Clinical usage of honey as a wound dressing. The intern J of Lower Extremity Wounds, 2004;13:353-356.
12. Molan PC. The antibacterial activity of honey. Bee World, 1992;73:5-28.
13. Aureli P et al. Infant botulism and honey in Europe: a commentary. The pediatric infectious disease J, 2002;21:5-28.
14. Schneider LS et al. Influence of pH on wound healing: a new prospective for wound-therapy? Arch of Dermatol Res, 2007;298:413-420.
15. Adams C et al. Isolation by HPLC and characterisation of the bioactive fraction of New Zealand manuka (leptospermum scoparium) honey. Carbohydrate Res, 2008;343:651-659.
16. Mavric E et al. Identification and quantification of methylglyoxal as the dominant antibacterial constituent of Manuka (Leptosperum scoparium) honeys from New Zealand. Molecular Nutrition and Food Res, 2008;52:483-489.
17. Fujivara S et al. A potent antibacterial protein in royal jelly. Purification and determination of the primary structure of royalisin. The J of Biol Chem, 1990;265:11333-11337.
18. Lensky Y et al. Separate protein body compartments of the worker honeybee (Apis mellifera L.). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, 1983;75:607-615.
19. Knecht D et al. Patterns of larvel food-production by hypopharyngeal glands in adult worker honey-bees. Apidologie, 1990;21:457-468.
20. Al-Waili NS et al: Honey and microbial infection: a review supporting the use of honey for microbial control. J of Med food, 2011;14:1079-1096.
21. Majtan J. Methylglyoxal-a potential risk factor of manuka honey in healing of diabetic ulcers. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2011; 2011:295494, Epub 2010 Oct 14.
22. Huang HV et al. Action of antimicrobial peptides: two-state model. Biochemistry, 2000;39:8347-8352.
23. Epand RM et al. Diversity of antimicrobial peptides and their mechanisms of action. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1999;1462:11-28.
24. Matzukaki K. Why and how are peptide-lipid interactions utilized for self-defense? Magainins and tachiplesins as archetypes. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1999;1462:1-10.
25. Devine DA et al. Cationic peptides: distribution and mechanisms of resistance. Curr Pharm Des, 2002;8:703-714.
26. Bergman A et al. Accerelation of wound healing by topical application of honey. An animal model. The Am J of Surg, 1983;145:374-376.
27. Van den Berg AJ et al. An in vitro examination of the anti-oxidant and anti-infiammatoy properties of buckwheat honey. J of Wound Care, 2008;17:172-174.
28. Bashkaran K et al. Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect of tualang honey in alkali injury on the eyes of rabbits: experimental animal study. BMC Comple and alternative Med, 2011; 11:90.
29. Aljadi AM et al. Evaluation of the phenolic contents and antioxidant capacites of two malaysan floral honeys. Food Chem, 2004;85:513-518.
30. Tonks AJ et al. Honey stimulates inflammatory cytokine production from monocytes. Cytokine, 2003;21(5):242-247.
31. Subrahmanyam M. A prospective randomised clinical and histological study of superficial burn wound healing with honey and silver sulfadiazine. Burns, 1998;24:157-161.
32. Subrahmanyam M. Topical application of honey in treatment of burns. Br J of Surg, 1991; 78:497-498.
33. Gethin G et al. Manuka honey vs hydrogel- a prospective, open label, multicentre, randomised controlled trial to compare desloughing efficacy and healing outcomes in venous ulcers. J of Clin Nurs, 2009;18:466-474.
34. Molan P et al. Honey: a biologic wound dressing. Wound, 2015;27:141-151.
35. Pasupuleti VR et al. Honey, propolis, and royal jelly: a comprehensive review of their biological actions and health benefits. Oxid Med Cell Longev, 2017; 2017:11259510 Epub 2017 Jul 26.
36. Weissenstein A et al. Medical honey and its role in paediatric patients. Br J Nurs, 2014;23 (6):S30,S32-34.
37. Postrnes T et al. The sterilization of honey with cobalt 60 gamma radiation: a study of honey spiked with spores of Clostridium botulinum and Bacillus subtilis. Experientia, 1995; 51(9-10):986-989 (experientia 1995; J Pharm 1996).
How to Cite
Pierangeli, M., Ruocco, G., Recchi, V., Cecconato, V., Binci, C., Zavalloni, Y., … Scalise, A. (2020). Medical Honey in clinical practice: our experience in 75 treated cases. Italian Journal of Wound Care, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/ijwc.2020.58
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