Honey Extracted Polyphenolics Reduce Experimental Hypoxia in Human Keratinocytes Culture

Composition, functional properties and safety of honey: a review

Honey has been used not only as a food source but also for medicinal purposes. Recent studies have indicated that honey exhibits antioxidant, hepatoprotective, hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic and anti-obesity properties, as well as anticancer, anti-atherosclerotic, hypotensive, neuroprotective and immunomodulatory activities. These health benefits of honey could be attributed to its wide range of nutritional components, including polysaccharides and polyphenols, which have been proven to possess various beneficial properties. It is notable that the composition of honey can also be affected by nectar, season, geography and storage condition. Moreover, the safety of honey requires caution to avoid any potential safety incidents. Therefore, this review aims to provide recent research regarding the chemical composition, biological activities and safety of honey, which might be attributed to comprehensive utilization of honey. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Regenerative repair of full thickness skin wound assisted by dual crosslinking percolative gel casting maneuvered alginate hydrogel embedded with honey ghee blend resembles standard cutaneous properties

We report synergism in scarless cutaneous wound repair by alginate hydrogel (HGSAG) embedded with an optimized blend of characterized Jamun honey and characterized indigenously prepared ghee. Thorough screening and characterization of honey and ghee are carried out followed by obtaining a novel dual crosslinking percolative gel casting fabrication method to come up with HGSAG showing superior chemical stability, and mechanical strength (Nanoindentation study; lowest stiffness: 0.71 ± 0.19 μN/nm), and surface morphology (SEM; highest roughness: 0.13 ± 0.04 μm) to other variants. In vitro swelling study and degradation behavior study show intermediate swelling (swelling index: 0.59 ± 0.008 in 98 h) and required restricted degradation (PBS: 73.38 ± 0.55%, DMEM: 83.48 ± 0.69% in 10 days) for HGSAG which is necessary for providing nutrients to cells and in vivo therapeutic efficacy. We observe the remarkable antibacterial efficacy of HGSAG against Staphylococcus mutans and Escherichia coli. This particular substrate also shows decent 3T3 fibroblasts viability, cell-cell communication followed by cell-matrix interaction, and proliferation compared to other variants. Molecular gene expression studies by quantitative RT-PCR technique reveal strong upregulation of collagen I, CD26, and TGF-β3 while downregulation in the case of TGF-β1 which eventually substantiates scarless wound healing potential of HGSAG. Wound closure kinetics is most rapidly and successfully underpinned by HGSAG while compared to other alternatives including marketed healing patches. Regular close monitoring using histopathological studies and real-time imaging by Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography of in vivo wound model treated with HGSAG come up with the fascinating result of scarless healing (HGSAG treated epithelial thickness: 62.96 ± 0.67 μm, unwounded akin epithelial thickness: 62.56 ± 0.34 μm) within 12 days of wounding. Thus, the work highlights modified and stabilized alginate hydrogel embedded with honey and ghee blend as a potential scarless full-thickness cutaneous wound healing bio-scaffold.

Wound healing efficacy of Jamun honey in diabetic mice model through reepithelialization, collagen deposition and angiogenesis

Diabetic patients are frequently afflicted with impaired wound healing where linear progression of molecular and cellular events compromised. Despite of meaningful progress in diabetic treatment, management of diabetic chronic wounds is still challenging. Jamun (Syzygium cumini) honey may be a promising candidate for diabetic wound healing and need to explore in detail. So present study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of Jamun honey (JH) for diabetic wound healing in in vitro wound (primary fibroblasts) model and in in vivo of diabetic mice (Streptozotocin induced) model. The fibroblast cell model was studied for migratory behaviour and myofibrolasts infiltration under honey interventions via scratch/migration assay, immuno-cytochemistry and western blot. We applied FDA approved Manuka honey (MH) as positive control and JH as test honey to evaluate wound re-epithelialization, sub-epithelial connective tissue modification and angiogenesis via histo-pathological and immuno-histochemical analysis. JH (0.1% v/v) dilution has notably improved wound closure, migration with concomitant α-SMA expressions in vitro. Topical application of JH in diabetic mice model showed significant (*p ≤ 0.05) wound closure, reepithelialization, collagen deposition (I/III) and balanced the myofibroblasts formation. It also modulated vital angiogenic markers (viz HIF-1α, VEGF, VEGF R-II) significantly (*p ≤ 0.05). All these observations depicted that JH promotes sequential stages of wound healing in diabetic mice model. The results of the present study established Jamun honey as good as Manuka honey considering wound closure, re-epithelialization, collagen deposition and pro-angiogenic potential.

Synthesis and characterization of PCL-DA:PEG-DA based polymeric blends grafted with SMA hydrogel as bio-degradable intrauterine contraceptive implant

Presently available long-acting reversible female contraceptive implants are said to be an effective way of preventing unintended pregnancy. Unacceptable side effects attributed by these contraceptive implants act as a major drawback for the practitioners. These problems pave the way for the development of a new form of long-acting non-hormonal female contraceptive implant, especially in the developing countries. PCL-DA: PEG-DA polymeric scaffold is grafted with Styrene Maleic Anhydride (SMA) based hydrogel, and their physicochemical, thermal and biological parameters are being explored for developing a bio-degradable form of the non-hormonal intrauterine contraceptive implant. With the fixed ratio of PEG-DA: PCL-DA polymer, SMA hydrogel was added at four different concentrations to determine the optimum concentration of SMA hydrogel for the development of a promising long-acting biodegradable intrauterine contraceptive implant. Structural elucidation of the polymers was confirmed using ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopic analyses. The physiochemical characterization report suggests that SMA hydrogel interacts with the PCL-DA: PEG-DA polymeric scaffold through intermolecular hydrogen bonding interaction. The in-vitro spermicidal activity of the polymeric scaffold increases when the concentration of SMA based hydrogel in the polymer samples is increased without showing any significant toxicological effects. From the study results, it may be concluded that SMA hydrogel grafted PCL-DA: PEG-DA scaffold can be developed as intra-uterine biodegradable non-hormonal female contraceptive implant due to its excellent bio-compatibility and spermicidal activity.

Effects of honey-extracted polyphenols on serum antioxidant capacity and metabolic phenotype in rats

It is generally known that honey polyphenols have antioxidant capacity and numerous biological functions. However, their metabolic phenotype after digestion has not been studied. In this study, the effects of honey-extracted polyphenols (HEPs) on serum antioxidant capacity and metabolic phenotype were revealed for the first time. Herein, sixteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups: one group was administered HEPs (200 mg per kilogram body weight dose) and the other group was fed distilled water three times. Then, 1 h after the last gavage, the metabolic profiling of serum was analyzed by UHPLC-Orbitrap-HRMS and multivariate statistical analysis, and the following results were obtained. At first, twenty-five metabolites, including polyphenols, unsaturated fatty acids, and amino acids, were selected as potential biomarkers. Then, metabolic pathway analysis showed that several amino acid metabolism pathways, ubiquinone and other terpenoid-quinone biosynthesis, arachidonic acid metabolism, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, and inositol phosphate metabolism were affected. Association analysis demonstrated that the alteration of metabolites may be responsible for the increased serum antioxidant capacity. This new insight into the effects on the metabolic phenotype after HEP intake prompted the study on the biological functions and emerging health benefits of HEPs.

Evaluation of the In Vitro Wound-Healing Activity of Calabrian Honeys

The healing of skin wounds and particularly chronic wounds, such as diabetic foot ulcers, is still a clinical emergency. Despite the many therapeutic tools that are available so far, none seems to be really effective and safe. In this context, we highlighted the renewed wound healing activity of honey, a viscous aromatic and sweet food, by way of in vitro wound-healing assays, using the HaCaT cell line. Specifically, we investigated five monofloral or multifloral honeys from different Calabrian provinces using them as such or extracted (by Amberlite^® or n-hexane and ethyl acetate). The chemical composition of honeys was ascertained by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and by the gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method for volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Amongst the five tested honeys, BL1 and BL5 honeys showed the most promising healing properties. Pinocembrin, which was revealed in BL1 (multifloral) and BL5 (orange) honey samples, is a flavanol that is already known to possess interesting biological activities, including healing. This study aims to investigate how a traditional food such as honey, which is appreciated for its nutritional value and used in folk medicine, can be enhanced as an effective modern remedial to promote a multifaceted and safe healing activity for all skin wounds.

Characterization of Purified Red Cabbage Anthocyanins: Improvement in HPLC Separation and Protective Effect against H₂O₂-Induced Oxidative Stress in HepG2 Cells

In this study, the chemical profiles and antioxidant activities of red cabbage anthocyanin (RCA)-enriched extract are evaluated. The effects of column temperature on the HPLC resolution of the RCAs are studied. The HPLC resolutions became better as the column temperature increased from 20 °C⁻45 °C. An optimized HPLC condition was achieved at 45 °C and used for the quantification and qualification of the RCAs. The anthocyanins in the enriched powder are all derivatives of cyanidin (268 ± 2 μg/mg), mainly with 19% nonacylated, 51% monoacylated, and 31% diacylated structures with ferulic, sinapic, p-coumaric, and caffeic acids characterized by HPLC-MS. The RCA extracts markedly reduced intracellular oxidative stress production by H₂O₂ on HepG2 cells and consequently ameliorated cell apoptosis and improved viability. The analytical method and cellular antioxidant activity demonstration of the RCAs will greatly facilitate their functional applications.