Investigating antibacterial plant-derived compounds from natural honey

Hawkins, Jennifer 2015. Investigating antibacterial plant-derived compounds from natural honey. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Honey possesses therapeutic properties which are the result of a range of factors including high sugar content, low pH, hydrogen peroxide and bee-derived peptides. Honey also contains antimicrobial phytochemicals which represent a rich source of leads for the development of drugs for the treatment of microbial infections. Honey samples donated by UK beekeepers (217) and Manuka samples (3) were screened for the presence of novel antibacterial compounds by determining activity against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) using optimised agar well diffusion and broth microdilution assays. The majority (92%) of the honeys showed inhibitory activity. Identification of unknown factors was performed by neutralising antibacterial honey components previously described in the literature. Of the samples screened four samples were found to contain potentially novel antibacterial compounds. The pollen present in honey represents a record of the plants which contributed to the making of the honey and may be the source of specific antibacterial factors. For this reason pollen was extracted from honey samples which demonstrated high levels of antimicrobial activity. Microscopic and DNA metabarcoding (454 and Illumina) analysis was performed. Plant species identified with DNA metabarcoding provided superior discrimination and greater repeatability. Key species identified in the antibacterial samples included woodruff (Galium odoratum), bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) and dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). Extracts from active honeys and characterised plants demonstrated antibacterial activity against MRSA, E. coli and P. aeruginosa using broth based methods and thin layer chromatography (TLC) bioautographic overlay methods. Activity-guided characterisation using a TLC/mass spectrometry (MS) interface and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was performed. Compounds identified using these approaches included known pinobanksin derivatives and unknown compounds suggesting that the plants may be the original source of active compounds. The demonstration of antibacterial activity may provide new lead compounds that could serve as selective agents against MRSA and other antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Pharmacy
Subjects:	Q Science > Q Science (General)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Honey Peptides antibacterial plant-derived
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Last Modified:	29 Apr 2016 03:56
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/77005

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