Sweet Relief: Determining the Antimicrobial Activity of Medical Grade Honey Against Vaginal Isolates of Candida albicans

Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC) is predicted to increase to almost 158 million cases annually by 2030. Extensive self-diagnosis and easily accessible over-the-counter (OTC) fungistatic drugs contribute to antifungal-resistance, illustrating the need for novel therapies. Honey possesses mul...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of fungi (Basel) 2019-09, Vol.5 (3), p.85
Main Authors: Hermanns, Renée, Cremers, Niels A J, Leeming, John P, van der Werf, Esther T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
antibiotic resistance
Antifungal activity
Antifungal agents
Antimicrobial activity
Antimicrobial agents
Antimicrobial resistance
Brief Report
candida
Candida albicans
Candidiasis
Clinical isolates
Clinical trials
Drug resistance
Glucose
Honey
medical grade honey
Minimum inhibitory concentration
Pathogens
pH effects
recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis
Vagina
vaginitis
Vitamins
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Summary:Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC) is predicted to increase to almost 158 million cases annually by 2030. Extensive self-diagnosis and easily accessible over-the-counter (OTC) fungistatic drugs contribute to antifungal-resistance, illustrating the need for novel therapies. Honey possesses multiple antimicrobial mechanisms, and there is no antimicrobial resistance towards honey reported. We evaluated the susceptibility of five clinical isolates of and a control strain to regular honey and a medical grade honey (MGH) gel formulation (L-Mesitran, containing 40% honey and vitamins C and E) using an adapted version of the EUCAST protocol at pH 5.2, 4.6, and 4.0. 40% regular honey did not kill or inhibit . In contrast, the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of L-Mesitran was 25%-50%, while fungicidal effects occurred at a 50% concentration (MBC) of the MGH formulation, except for one strain which was not killed at pH 4.0. Overall, pH had little effect on antimicrobial activity. MGH formulation L-Mesitran has antimicrobial activity against over a relevant pH range. The vitamin supplements or other components of L-Mesitran may enhance the antifungal activity of the honey. This study supports performing clinical trials for conditions, such as RVVC, to find an alternative to available OTC fungistatic drugs.
ISSN:2309-608X
2309-608X
DOI:10.3390/jof5030085