Antibacterial properties of selected Malaysian Tualang honey against and .

Background And Objectives: Tualang honey (TH) is a Malaysian multifloral jungle honey. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the number of studies published in medical databases regarding its potential health benefits. The study aimed to investigate the effect of TH against and .

Materials And Methods: The effect of TH on both bacteria was investigated using MIC, MBC, growth curve, time-kill curve, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and RT-qPCR.

Results: The MIC of TH against and was 18.5% (w/v) and 13% (w/v) respectively and MBC was 25% (w/v) for both bacteria. Spectrophotometric readings of at least 90% inhibition yielded MIC values of TH, 18.5% (w/v) and 15% (w/v) for and respectively. A time-kill curve demonstrated a bactericidal with a 4-log reduction estimated within 8 hours. Using SEM, loss of structural integrity and marked changes in cell shape were observed. RT-qPCR analysis showed that TH reduced the pattern of gene expression in both bacteria, with a trend toward reduced expression of the virulence genes of interest.

Conclusion: This study suggests that TH could potentially be used as an alternative therapeutic agent for microbial infection particularly against these two organisms.