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. 2014 Mar 5:7:149-58.
doi: 10.2147/IJGM.S45839. eCollection 2014.

Potential pathway of anti-inflammatory effect by New Zealand honeys

Victoria Tomblin  1 , Lynnette R Ferguson  1 , Dug Yeo Han  1 , Pamela Murray  1 , Ralf Schlothauer  2
Affiliations

Potential pathway of anti-inflammatory effect by New Zealand honeys

Victoria Tomblin et al. Int J Gen Med. .

Abstract

The role of honey in wound healing continues to attract worldwide attention. This study examines the anti-inflammatory effect of four honeys on wound healing, to gauge its efficacy as a treatment option. Isolated phenolics and crude extracts from manuka (Leptospermum scoparium), kanuka (Kunzea ericoides), clover (Trifolium spp.), and a manuka/kanuka blend of honeys were examined. Anti-inflammatory assays were conducted in HEK-Blue™-2, HEK-Blue™-4, and nucleotide oligomerization domain (NOD)2-Wild Type (NOD2-WT) cell lines, to assess the extent to which honey treatment impacts on the inflammatory response and whether the effect was pathway-specific. Kanuka honey, and to a lesser extent manuka honey, produced a powerful anti-inflammatory effect related to their phenolic content. The effect was observed in HEK-Blue™-2 cells using the synthetic tripalmitoylated lipopeptide Pam3CysSerLys4 (Pam3CSK4) ligand, suggesting that honey acts specifically through the toll-like receptor (TLR)1/TLR2 signaling pathway. The manuka/kanuka blend and clover honeys had no significant anti-inflammatory effect in any cell line. The research found that kanuka and manuka honeys have an important role in modulating the inflammatory response associated with wound healing, through a pathway-specific effect. The phenolic content of honey correlates with its effectiveness, although the specific compounds involved remain to be determined.

Keywords: Kunzea ericoides; Leptospermum scoparium; Trifolium; clover; inflammatory response; kanuka; manuka; phenolics; wound healing.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Materials, preparation, and observation process flow chart. Note: HEK-Bluet™-2 and QUANTI-Blue™ (InvivoGen, San Diego, CA, USA). Abbreviations: LPS, lipopolysaccharide; MDP, muramyl dipeptide; NOD2-WT, nucleotide oligomerization domain 2-Wild Type; PMA, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate; SEAP, secreted alkaline phosphatase; Pam3CSK4, Pam3CysSerLys4; FSL-1, Pam2CGDPKHPKSF.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The anti-inflammatory effect of the four honey extracts when differentiated by honey phenolics and crude honey extracts. Notes: Results are expressed as % SEAP relative to control. The lower the value, the lower the level of SEAP, resulting in a lower anti-inflammatory effect. Blend is a mixture of crude manuka and kanuka honey. Abbreviation: SEAP, secreted alkaline phosphatase.
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