Honey was used in traditional medicine to treat wounds until the advent of modern medicine. The rising global antibiotic resistance has forced the development of novel therapies as alternatives to combat infections. Consequently, honey is experiencing a resurgence in evaluation for antimicrobial and wound healing applications. A range of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant strains and biofilms, are inhibited by honey. Furthermore, susceptibility to antibiotics can be restored when used synergistically with honey. Honey’s antimicrobial activity also includes antifungal and antiviral properties, and in most varieties of honey, its activity is attributed to the enzymatic generation of hydrogen peroxide, a reactive oxygen species. Non-peroxide factors include low water activity, acidity, phenolic content, defensin-1, and methylglyoxal (Leptospermum honeys). Honey has also been widely explored as a tissue-regenerative agent. It can contribute to all stages of wound healing, and thus has been used in direct application and in dressings. The difficulty of the sustained delivery of honey’s active ingredients to the wound site has driven the development of tissue engineering approaches (e.g., electrospinning and hydrogels). This review presents the most in-depth and up-to-date comprehensive overview of honey’s antimicrobial and wound healing properties, commercial and medical uses, and its growing experimental use in tissue-engineered scaffolds.

Skin is a hierarchical and multi-cellular organ exposed to the external environment with a key protective and regulatory role. Wounds caused by disease and trauma can lead to a loss of function, which can be debilitating and even cause death. Accelerating the natural skin healing process and minimizing the risk of infection is a clinical challenge. Electrospinning is a key technology in the development of wound dressings and skin substitutes as it enables extracellular matrix-mimicking fibrous structures and delivery of bioactive materials. Honey is a promising biomaterial for use in skin tissue engineering applications and has antimicrobial properties and potential tissue regenerative properties. This preliminary study investigates a solution electrospun composite nanofibrous mesh based on polycaprolactone and a medical grade honey, SurgihoneyRO. The processing conditions were optimized and assessed by scanning electron microscopy to fabricate meshes with uniform fiber diameters and minimal presence of beads. The chemistry of the composite meshes was examined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photon spectroscopy showing incorporation of honey into the polymer matrix. Meshes incorporating honey had lower mechanical properties due to lower polymer content but were more hydrophilic, resulting in an increase in swelling and an accelerated degradation profile. The biocompatibility of the meshes was assessed using human dermal fibroblasts and adipose-derived stem cells, which showed comparable or higher cell metabolic activity and viability for SurgihoneyRO-containing meshes compared to polycaprolactone only meshes. The meshes showed no antibacterial properties in a disk diffusion test due to a lack of hydrogen peroxide production and release. The developed polycaprolactone-honey nanofibrous meshes have potential for use in skin applications.

摘要: 伤口代表对皮肤的威胁, 而皮肤是身体最重要的抵御感染的屏障, 抗生素耐药性的增加促使了新疗法的发展.RO-101®是一种抗菌凝胶, 可以将过氧化氢 (H₂O₂) 这种反应性氧化物直接释放到创面.本研究利用电纺技术将RO-101^®纳入聚乙烯醇 (PVA) 亚微米纤维网中, 该网可以作为传递剂, 实现持续释放, 并提供对感染的屏障。核磁共振波谱法进一步确认了该凝胶与亚微米纤维的充分结合。此外, 扫描电子显微镜显示直径在200–500纳米范围内的光滑均布网格。经过24小时, PVA/RO-101电纺网生成的H₂O₂浓度超过1 mM/(mL g) (1 mM = 1 mmol/L), 并评估了灭菌对H₂O₂释放的影响.我们发现PVA/RO-101网格对革兰阳性葡萄球菌 (S. aureus) 和革兰阴性绿脓杆菌 (P. aeruginosa) 细菌都具有抗菌活性, 能够使可培养量减少高达1对数单位CFU/mm² (CFU: 菌落形成单位) 。此外, 这些网格还能够破坏生物膜的形成, 甚至对甲氧西林耐药的S. aureus (MRSA) 等多药耐药菌群也有作用.此外, 增加RO-101^®浓度会导致产生更高的H₂O₂并增强抗菌效果, 而成纤维细胞活力和增殖试验显示浓度依赖性响应, 在低浓度RO-101^®下具有较高的细胞相容性.因此, 本研究证明了高吸水性的PVA/RO-101电纺网作为潜在的抗菌创面敷料的潜力.

Electrospun polyvinyl alcohol and RO-101 fibres were crosslinked via exposure to glutaraldehyde to produce highly stable hydrogen peroxide releasing meshes.