Gamma-Irradiated Honey: Its Medicinal Efficacy and Biological Activities for Burned Skin in a Rat Model

Abstract

Honey, with its diverse chemical, physical, and antibacterial properties, exhibits significant variability depending on the floral origin of the nectar source. Likewise, its therapeutic potential in the context of healing cutaneous burn injuries shows remarkable variation. In this comprehensive two-week study, four distinct honey varieties (Nigella Sativa Honey - NSH, Moringa Honey - MOH, Sidr Honey - SIH, and Pumpkin Honey - PUH), along with Vaseline, were administered as therapeutic interventions in a rat model. The study covered a range of parameters, including wound contraction, neovascularization rates, malondialdehyde (MDA) content determined via colorimetry, and assessments of breaking strength and dry tissue weight. Agar diffusion tests were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of treatments against Streptococcus pyogenes and Klebsiella pneumonia strains. On the 15th day, the MOH-treated group exhibited the most rapid wound contraction at 84.58%, while the Vaseline-treated group showed the slowest at 68.40%. Notably, neovascularization was most pronounced in MOH-treated animals (45.01%), followed by SIH (42.73%), PUH (36.15%), and NSH (31.17%). In contrast, the Vaseline group had the lowest rate at 15.53%. Histological examinations revealed that animals treated with Vaseline had fewer oval-shaped cells compared to honey-treated counterparts. The highest weight loss occurred in the Vaseline group at 42.25% on the 15th day. MDA content was highest in SIH-treated animals (29.18 nmol/mg), followed by MOH (24.01 nmol/mg), PUH (22.88 nmol/mg), and NSH (22.51 nmol/mg), with the Vaseline-treated group having the lowest level at 7.37 nmol/mg. Furthermore, breaking strength was highest in rats treated with NSH ointment (755.29 g), followed by PUH (739.55 g), SIH (613.11 g), and MOH (600.32 g), while the Vaseline group had the lowest strength at 359.3 g. Similarly, the greatest dry tissue weight was observed in rats treated with PUH ointment (188.79 mg), followed by NSH (182.34 mg), SIH (179.15 mg), MOH (176.15 mg), while the Vaseline group had the lowest dry tissue weight at 101.17 mg. Notably, NSH-treated animals exhibited a reduction in Streptococcus pyogenes growth (5.76 mm) compared to the Vaseline group (19.68 mm), while MOH-treated animals displayed decreased Klebsiellapneumoniae growth (5.33 mm) compared to the Vaseline group (17.42 mm). These results collectively emphasize the comparable efficacy of honey in facilitating burn wound healing.