It has been demonstrated that honey possesses bactericidal properties through a variety of techniques, such as broth (micro) dilution and well/disc diffusion. It has also been demonstrated to prevent the growth of microbial biofilm. The antibacterial qualities of different types of honey might vary depending on a number of factors acting alone or in concert. These consist of osmotic pressure, phenolic chemicals, and hydrogen peroxide.
Honey's antibacterial properties have been linked to the compound methylglyoxal (MGO). A byproduct of dihydroxyacetone oxidation, methylglyoxal, can be found in Manuka tree nectar (Leptospermum scoparium). The manner in which New Zealand Manuka honey is gathered and aged can have a substantial impact on its MGO content.
When MGO and water combine, they create hydrates that are easily detected using gas-phase photon emission spectroscopy. MGO is stable at ambient temperature. Moreover, it interacts with itself to create oligomers and dimers that are FT-IR detectable.
The ability of each sample to prevent the development of bacteria can be evaluated by employing a growth retarding assay, which involves inserting honey samples into an agar plate cavity and inoculating the plate with bacteria. Our findings demonstrated that whereas honey concentrations of MGO were comparable, the bacteriostatic characteristics of the honey varied, indicating the existence of synergistic chemicals. We proved that 3-phenyllactic acid (3-PLA), a hallmark of Manuka honey, amplifies the bactericidal action of MGO at quantities relevant to honey by evaluating counterfeit honey spiked with different amounts of MGO.
Secondary metabolites found in plants, phenolic compounds, have strong antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant characteristics. A wide range of fruits and vegetables, such as black carrots, tomatoes, and cranberries, contain them. By preventing the production of reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species, which harm vital biological macromolecules like proteins and DNA, they have been demonstrated to prevent metabolic illnesses like type 2 diabetes.
Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that phenolic compounds exhibit potent antimicrobial activity against the foodborne pathogen Xylella fastidiosa. Numerous mechanisms, such as effects on cellular oxidative stress, apoptotic activation, and inhibition of the enzymes involved in viral envelopement, penetration, replication, and assembly, are probably implicated in this activity.
Since they can enhance overall health, lower the risk of contamination in meat and dairy products, and improve nutritional quality, phenolic compounds have a lot of potential applications in the human and animal feed industries. They must, however, also devise sustainable processes for the extraction, purification, and stabilisation of these naturally occurring bioactive substances.
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are membrane-active polypeptides that exhibit broad-spectrum activity against pathogenic fungus, bacteria, and Gramme-positive and -negative bacteria in humans and other animals. In the innate host defence system, AMPs are produced by neutrophils and monocyte/macrophages as well as epithelial cells that act as a barrier between the host and the external environment.
AMPs come in a variety of structures, most of which are non-helical and amphiphilic. Nevertheless, in microbial and human zwitterionic membrane mimics, several AMPs take on a helical shape. After creating a number of short cationic lipidated AMPs, including P4: LKWLRRL-NH2, P5: LRWLRRL-NH2, and KAK: RLWRLR-NH2, Chu-Kung et al. discovered that the helical structure greatly boosted the antibacterial effectiveness of these compounds without compromising their cytotoxicity.
Depending on the infection target, AMPs have been shown to enter bacterial cells by a variety of pathways. These include extracellular secretion into confined extracellular spaces, such as gingival epithelial cells secreting into the gingival crevice or paneth cells secreting into the base of intestinal crypts; phagosome-lysosome fusion, as in the case of b-defensins or cathelicidins in mammals; and keratinocytes using focal secretion to act directly on bacteria attached to the surface of the cellular membrane.
