A Sydney researcher has unlocked the mystery of the miraculous healing powers of honey, adding to the calls for its use as a first line defence against serious infection.
Research undertaken by Dr Shona Blair, at Sydney University's School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences, has shed some light on the unusual antibacterial activity of certain types of honey, leading to a greater understanding of the ability of some honeys to kill pathogenic bacteria and promote wound healing.
In a study, the potent Leptospermum honey, commonly found in Australia and New Zealand and made from jelly bush flowers found in isolated parts of northern New South Wales and from a related plant known as Manuka from New Zealand, was effective against many different drug resistant clinical isolates, including the notorious Golden Staff bacteria.
Selected Leptospermum honey attacked bacteria via several different mechanisms.
A test organism, E. coli, was stressed with honey and the genes it used to cope with the attack were identified using microarrays. Microarrays are a relatively new tool in molecular biology that allows us to study the behaviour of thousands of genes at once. After E. coli was treated with Leptospermum honey it reacted in a unique way. Some of the genes E. coli turned on were the same as those it uses to deal with stresses such as exposure to acid, salt, or heat. However, the entire gene expression pattern after exposure to
Leptospermum honey was unique when compared to any other known response. As honey "attacks" bacteria from several different angles they are overwhelmed and unable to develop resistance. This is extremely important as antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest problems faced by modern medicine, with little relief in sight.