Manuka Honey Inhibits Adhesion and Invasion of Medically Important Wound Bacteria in Vitro

Abstract

Aim: To characterize the effect of manuka honey on medically important wound bacteria in vitro, focusing on its antiadhesive properties. Materials & methods: Crystal violet biofilm assays, fluorescent microscopy, protein adhesion assay and gentamicin protection assay were used to determine the impact of manuka honey on biofilm formation, human protein binding and adherence to/invasion into human keratinocytes. Results: Manuka honey effectively disrupted and caused extensive cell death in biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus pyogenes. Sublethal doses of manuka honey inhibited bacterial adhesion to the fibronectin, fibrinogen and collagen. Manuka honey impaired adhesion of laboratory and clinical isolates of S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and S. pyogenes to human keratinocytes in vitro, and inhibited invasion by S. pyogenes and homogeneous vancomycin intermediate S. aureus. Conclusion: Manuka honey can directly affect bacterial cells embedded in a biofilm and exhibits antiadhesive properties against three common wound pathogens.

Keywords:

• biofilm
• collagen
• fibrinogen
• fibronectin
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• Staphylococcus aureus
• Streptococcus pyogenes

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.