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Dietetics, Nutrition and Biological Sciences

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/23

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Author: search.filters.author.Coyle, ShirleyHas files: Yes

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    Inhibition and changes in antibiotic sensitivity of bacteria cultured aerobically and anaerobically in four different medicinal honeys
    (eScientific, 2020-03-27) Klein, Juan-Pablo; Graves-Morris, Katherine; Coyle, Shirley; Fyfe, Lorna
    The growing prevalence of bacterial antibiotic resistance has led to a rediscovery of the antimicrobial properties of honey. This study investigated the antibacterial activity in aerobic and anaerobic conditions, the effect on bacterial antibiotic sensitivity, and the composition of four medical-grade honeys Medihoney®, Comvita® Antibacterial Wound Gel™, Revamil® gel, and Surgihoney™RO®.A broth assay was used to assess the antibacterial activity of the honeys against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. A disk diffusion test was used to investigate the effect of exposure to a subinhibitory concentration of the honeys to the sensitivity of bacteria to a range of antibiotics. The composition of each honey was characterised by measuring: sugar content, pH, hydrogen peroxide activity, total polyphenolic content and antioxidant capacity.The honeys differed widely in antibacterial activity. Medihoney® was the most effective reducing the growth of both bacteria to < 1 compared to 9 log10 cfu/mL in the growth controls at all tested concentrations. Revamil® gel was the least active of the honeys only having a negligible effect on bacterial growth at the 25% honey concentration. All honeys were equally or more active in anaerobic conditions than in aerobic conditions. The polyphenolic content may influence the activity of honey. Various honey-antibiotic combinations were identified that enhanced antibiotic sensitivity in bacteria. More research is needed to clarify the role of polyphenols in honey activity and further explore the potential synergies between the honeys and antibiotics.
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    Compositional analysis of Scottish honeys with antimicrobial activity against antibiotic-resistant bacteria reveals novel antimicrobial components
    (Elsevier, 2017-01-09) Fyfe, Lorna; Okoro, Paulina; Paterson, Euan; Coyle, Shirley; McDougall, Gordon J.
    Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a major health concern and honey may provide an alternative to antibiotic use under certain conditions. The antimicrobial action of six Scottish honeys and Manuka Medihoney was compared against antibiotic-resistant Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. Certain Scottish honeys, such as Highland and Portobello honey 2011, were comparable in effectiveness to the established antimicrobial Medihoney, inhibiting growth to <1 compared to 10 log10 CFU/ ml in the control. Heather honey was the next most active while Blossom honeys were less active. Bacteria were inhibited by a sugar-matched control, but to a lesser extent, indicating that antimicrobial activity was associated with non-sugar components, such as polyphenols. However, total phenol content or antioxidant capacity did not correlate with antimicrobial activity. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric analysis revealed that the composition of polyphenol and non-polyphenol components differed between honeys. In addition, candidate components that could be associated with antimicrobial activity were noted including novel fatty diacid glycoside derivatives not previously identified in honeys.