Honey is a new approach to fighting antibiotic resistance: study

ISLAMABAD: Honey could be one sweet solution to the serious ever growing problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, says a research.

Medical professionals sometimes use honey successfully as a topical dressing but it could play a larger role in fighting infections, reported health news.

The unique property of honey lies in its ability to fight infection on multiple levels making it more difficult for bacteria to develop resistance.

That is it uses a combination of weapons including hydrogen peroxide, acidity, osmotic effect, high sugar concentration - all of which actively kill bacterial cells.

The osmotic effect which is the result of the high sugar concentration in honey draws water from the bacterial cells dehydrating and killing them.

In addition, several studies have shown that honey inhibits the formation of biofilms or communities of slimy disease causing bacteria.

Honey may also disrupt quorum sensing which weakens bacterial virulence rendering the bacteria more susceptible to conventional antibiotics.

Quorum sensing is the way bacteria communicate with one another and may be involved in the formation of biofilms.

In certain bacteria this communication system also controls the release of toxins which affects the bacteria’s pathogenicity or their ability to cause disease. Team of researchers is also finding that honey has antioxidant properties and is an effective antibacterial.