Efficacy of Various Local Honey For The Treatment Of Burn Wounds

Since time immemorial honey has been known to treat myriad of wounds and ailments. Recently, honey has been revived as an effective treatment for wounds and the interests that spark in approachng alternative treatments stem partly from the emergence of antibiotic-resistance pathogens. In addition burn care duration of hospita is an expensive proposition which requires significant 1 stay as well as expensive medications. Since honey is produced from many sources of nectar, the chemical and physical activities vary greatly with origin of the nectar as well as environmental conditions. Thus, the present study was undertaken to assess the potential of various Malaysian honeys in treating burn wound. The efficacy of topical application of Malaysian honeys on burn wound healing in Sprague-Dawley rats was investigated on the basis of biophysical and histological changes. A total of 210 Sprague-Dawley male rats weighing between 200 - 300 g were used in this study. Deep partial skin thickness burn wound was inflicted on the dorsal part of the body. Imported Manuka honey as well as four selected local honeys collected from different plantations namely nenas, gelam, durian and kelapa were applied twice daily in a quantity of 0.5 ml for each application. Control animals received no treatment while silver sulphadiazine (SSD) cream served as a standard burn wound treatment. The rats were inspected daily and the general appearance as well as the rate of wound contraction was recorded at 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days post burned. Six rats from each experimental group were euthanized at each time interval and the skin samples taken were evaluated histologically and subjected to tensile strength test. Tissue sections were stained with haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson's trichrome staining, while tensile strength testing was done using an InstronTM tensiometer. The results obtained from this study showed that Manuka honey and Gelam honey significantly stimulated the rate of burn wound healing as demonstrated by increased rate of wound contraction and from gross observations. Microscopic evaluation demonstrated that there was a significant acceleration of the dermal repair in wound healing treated with Manuka and Gelam honeys. Early attenuation of inflammatory reaction and early reparative activities were observed in wounds treated with the two types of honeys. Differential cells count showed a significant decrease in the number of inflammatory cells in the Manuka honey and Gelam honey treated wounds as early as 3 days post injury. In addition, epithelial regeneration appeared to be quite advanced whereby re-epithelialization was observed as early as 7 days after burn treatment as compared to other experimental groups. Histological findings of this study also showed enhanced proliferation of fibroblasts and collagen synthesis in wounds treated with Manuka honey and Gelam honey. In addition, tensile strength of the wounds treated with these honeys was also enhanced during the course of study. Thus, results obtained from the present study suggested that topical application of Manuka and Gelam honey may have favourable influence on the various phases of burn wound healing hence accelerating the healing process

Gelam (Melaleuca spp.) Honey-Based Hydrogel as Burn Wound Dressing

A novel cross-linked honey hydrogel dressing was developed by incorporating Malaysian honey into hydrogel dressing formulation, cross-linked and sterilized using electron beam irradiation (25 kGy). In this study, the physical properties of the prepared honey hydrogel and its wound healing efficacy on deep partial thickness burn wounds in rats were assessed. Skin samples were taken at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after burn for histopathological and molecular evaluations. Application of honey hydrogel dressings significantly enhanced (P < 0.05) wound closure and accelerated the rate of re-epithelialization as compared to control hydrogel and OpSite film dressing. A significant decrease in inflammatory response was observed in honey hydrogel treated wounds as early as 7 days after burn (P < 0.05). Semiquantitative analysis using RT-PCR revealed that treatment with honey hydrogel significantly (P < 0.05) suppressed the expression of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1α, IL-1β, and IL-6). The present study substantiates the potential efficacy of honey hydrogel dressings in accelerating burn wound healing

The effect of topical application of Malaysian honey on burn wound healing

The efficacy of topical application of Malaysian honey on burn wound healing in Sprague-Dawley rats was investigated using 45 Sprague Dawley male rats weighing 200-300 g. Deep partial skin thickness burns were inflicted on the dorsal part of each animal. Two types of local honey (durian and Gelam) were applied twice a day in a quantity of 0.5 ml for each application, while control animals received no treatment. The rats were serially euthanisised at 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days post treatment for histological study. Histologically, early attenuation of inflammatory reaction and early reparative activities were observed in the honey treated wounds compared to control groups. Differential cells count showed a significant decreased in the number of inflammatory cells and increased vascularity in the honey treated wounds as early as 3 days post injury. In addition, epithelial regeneration appeared to be significant in gelam honey treated wound. This study showed that there was a significant acceleration of dermal repair in wound healing treated with durian and Gelam honey

Honey hydrogel dressing to treat burn wound in rats - a preliminary report

Various studies have shown that honey is effective in healing burns and wounds. In this study, Malaysian honey was incorporated into hydrogel dressing formulation using electron beam irradiation technique and introduced as Honey Hydrogel dressing. The wound healing efficacy of Honey Hydrogel dressing on deep partial thickness burns was monitored on the basis of gross appearances, rate of wound contraction and histopathological changes. Deep partial thickness burns were created by applying an aluminium template preheated to 85°C to the backs of rats for 5 s and randomly treated with Honey Hydrogel or hydrogel while control group received no treatment. Wound appearance was photographed and the rate of wound contraction was calculated at 7, 14, and 21 days post burn. Rats were euthanized after 21 days of treatment and skin samples were taken for histopathological examination. The wounds treated with Honey Hydrogel dressing showed better gross appearances and significantly (p<0.05) enhanced the rate of wound contraction as compared to the control group at 21 days post burn. Faster epithelialization was also seen in the Honey Hydrogel treated group as compared to the other groups, although this was not statistically significant. The results substantiate the potential efficacy of Honey Hydrogel in accelerating burn wound healing

Betanodavirus: dissection of the viral life cycle

Progressive research has been recently made in dissecting the molecular biology of Betanodavirus life cycle, the causative pathogen of viral encephalopathy and retinopathy in economic important marine fish species. Establishment of betanodavirus infectious clone allows the manipulation of virus genome for functional genomic study, which elucidates the biological event of the viral life cycle at molecular level. The betanodavirus strategizes its replication by expressing anti-apoptosis/antinecrotic proteins to maintain the cell viability during early infection. Subsequently utilizes and controls the biological machinery of the infected cells for viral genome replication. Towards the late phase of infection, mass production of capsid protein for virion assembly induces the activation of host apoptosis pathway. It eventually leads to the cell lysis and death, which the lysis of cell contributes to the accomplishment of viral shedding that completes a viral life cycle. The recent efforts to dissect the entire betanodavirus life cycle are currently reviewed

Development of honey hydrogel dressing for enhanced wound healing

Radiation at 25 and 50 kGy showed no effect on the acidic pH of the local honey, Gelam, and its antimicrobial property against Staphylococcus aureus but significantly reduced the viscosity. Honey stored up to 2 years at room temperature retained all the properties studied. Radiation sterilized Gelam honey significantly stimulated the rate of burn wound healing in Sprague-Dawley rats as demonstrated by the increased rate of wound contraction and gross appearance. Gelam honey attenuates wound inflammation; and re-epithelialization was well advanced compared to the treatment using silver sulphadiazine (SSD) cream. To enhance further the use of honey in wound treatment and for easy handling, Gelam honey was incorporated into our hydrogel dressing formulation, which was then cross-linked and sterilized using electron beam at 25 kGy. Hydrogel with 6% of honey was selected based on the physical appearance

Sea cucumber (Stichopus hermanii) based hydrogel to treat burn wounds in rats

Malaysian sea cucumber was incorporated into hydrogel formulation by using electron beam irradiation technique and was introduced as novel cross-linked Gamat Hydrogel dressing. This study investigated whether Gamat Hydrogel enhanced repair of deep partial skin thickness burn wound in rats and its possible mechanism. Wounds were treated with either Gamat Hydrogel, control hydrogel, OpSite® film dressing or left untreated. Skin samples were taken at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days post burn for histological and molecular evaluations. Gamat Hydrogel markedly enhanced wound contraction and improved histological reorganization of the regenerating tissue. Furthermore, the dressing modulated the inflammatory responses, stimulated the activation and proliferation of fibroblasts, and enhanced rapid production of collagen fiber network with a consequently shorter healing time. The level of proinflammatory cytokines; IL-1α, IL-1β, and IL-6, were significantly reduced in Gamat Hydrogel treated wounds compared with other groups as assessed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In summary, our results showed that Gamat Hydrogel promoted burn wound repair via a complex mechanism involving stimulation of tissue regeneration and regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The resultant wound healing effects were attributed to the synergistic effect of the hydrogel matrix and incorporated sea cucumber

Acute oral toxicity study of root methanol extract of Goniothalamus lanceolatus miq. and its isolated bioactive compound (parvistone D) in murine model

Goniothalamus lanceolatus Miq. is widely used by the indigenous people of Sarawak, Malaysia as a folk remedy to treat various ailments including skin diseases, cold, and fever. A previous study reported that the root methanol extract, and parvistone D, an active compound of the plant, showed promising in vitro antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium parasites. However, there is limited data reporting on its toxicological profile. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the potential toxicity of root methanol extract and parvistone D of G. lanceolatus in mice. The acute oral toxicity of the extract and compound was assessed at a single dose of 2000 and 500 mg/kg body weight, respectively. The animals were observed for any mortality, behavioral, motor-neuronal abnormalities, and body weight changes for 14 days. At the end of the experiment, relative organ weights were measured, and gross examination, as well as histopathological analysis, were performed. There was no sign of toxicity, and mortality seen in mice treated with G. lanceolatus root methanol extract, and parvistone D at the administered doses. In addition, no significant differences were observed in the body and relative organ weights between the control and treated groups. Gross and histopathological examinations showed normal appearance of the liver, spleen, kidneys, heart, and lungs as compared to their respective control groups. In conclusion, oral administration of root methanol extract, and parvistone D of G. lanceolatus are safe at the studied dosage levels and cause no acute toxicity in mice

GC-MS analysis and antibacterial activity of ethanolic and water extracts of Malaysian Heterotrigona itama propolis against selected human pathogenic bacteria

Despite the growing interest in the therapeutic potential of propolis, limited attention has been paid to the chemical composition and biological activity of water extract propolis produced by Malaysian stingless bees. Thus, this study aimed to determine the phytochemical composition and antibacterial potential of ethanolic extract propolis (EEP) and water extract propolis (WEP) of the stingless bee species, Heterotrigona itama against ten pathogenic bacteria. The phytochemical analysis of the extracts was carried out using the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. The antibacterial activity was determined using the disc-diffusion, minimum inhibition concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) methods. The GC-MS analysis of EEP exhibited four volatile compounds including hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane, 2-hydroxy-2-cyclopenten-1-one, 2-coumaranone, and diethyl bis(trimethylsilyl) ester silicic acid. However, only two compounds were identified in WEP, consisting of 2-(acetoxymethyl)-3-(methoxycarbonyl)biphenylene, and hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane. EEP showed the highest antibacterial activity against all Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans) with values of the inhibition zones ranging from 7 to 10 mm. However, both extracts showed no antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria, except WEP, which displayed an inhibition zone of 9.33 ± 1.53 mm against Escherichia coli. Meanwhile, EEP showed the lowest MIC and MBC values against M. luteus at 70 and 280 μg/mL, respectively. The results revealed the presence of several volatile compounds in the EEP of H. itama which could contribute to its antibacterial activity, particularly against Gram-positive bacteria

Gelam honey attenuates ovalbumin-induced airway inflammation in a mice model of allergic asthma

Allergic asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the pulmonary airways. Gelam honey has been proven to possess anti-inflammatory property with great potential to treat an inflammatory condition. However, the effect of ingestion of Gelam honey on allergic asthma has never been studied. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of Gelam honey on the histopathological changes in the lungs of a mice model of allergic asthma. Forty-two Balb/c mice were divided into seven groups: control, I, II, III, IV, V and VI group. All groups except the control were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin. Mice in groups I, II, III, IV, and V were given honey at a dose of 10% (v/v), 40% (v/v) and 80% (v/v), dexamethasone 3 mg/kg, and phosphate buffered saline (vehicle) respectively, orally once a day for 5 days of the challenged period. Mice were sacrificed 24 h after the last OVA challenged and the lungs were evaluated for histopathological changes by light microscopy. All histopathological parameters such as epithelium thickness, the number of mast cell and mucus expression in Group III significantly improved when compared to Group VI except for subepithelial smooth muscle thickness (p < 0.05). In comparing Group III and IV, all the improvements in histopathological parameters were similar. Also, Gelam honey showed a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in inflammatory cell infiltration and beta-hexosaminidase level in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. In conclusion, we demonstrated that administration of high concentration of Gelam honey alleviates the histopathological changes of mice model of allergic asthma