Impact of Mt. Olympus Honeys on Virulence Factors Implicated in Pathogenesis Exerted by <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>
Eleni Tsavea,
Paraskevi Tzika,
Eleni Katsivelou,
Anna Adamopoulou,
Marios Nikolaidis,
Grigorios D. Amoutzias,
Dimitris Mossialos
Affiliations
Eleni Tsavea
Laboratory of Microbial Biotechnology, Molecular Bacteriology-Virology, Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece
Paraskevi Tzika
Laboratory of Microbial Biotechnology, Molecular Bacteriology-Virology, Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece
Eleni Katsivelou
Laboratory of Microbial Biotechnology, Molecular Bacteriology-Virology, Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece
Anna Adamopoulou
Laboratory of Microbial Biotechnology, Molecular Bacteriology-Virology, Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece
Marios Nikolaidis
Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece
Grigorios D. Amoutzias
Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece
Dimitris Mossialos
Laboratory of Microbial Biotechnology, Molecular Bacteriology-Virology, Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece
The aim of this study was to examine the impact of twenty honey samples, harvested in Mt. Olympus (Greece), on the virulence factors implicated in P. aeruginosa pathogenesis. Six key virulence factors (protease and elastase activity, pyocyanin and pyoverdine concentration, biofilm formation, and swimming motility) were selected in order to assess the effect of the tested honeys compared with Manuka honey. All tested honeys demonstrated a significant inhibition of protease and elastase activity compared with the control. Six and thirteen honeys exerted superior protease (no inhibition zone) and elastase (values lower than 55%) activity, respectively, compared with Manuka honey. Seventeen tested honeys exhibited reduced pyoverdine production compared with the control; all tested honeys, except for one, showed an inhibitory effect on pyocyanin production compared with the control. Regarding swimming motility, nine tested honeys demonstrated significantly higher inhibition compared with Manuka honey. Honey concentrations (6% v/v and 8% v/v) had the most profound impact, as they reduced biofilm formation to less than 20% compared with the control. Overall, our data demonstrate a significant inhibition of the virulence factors in the tested Mt. Olympus honeys, highlighting the strong antimicrobial activity against P. aeruginosa, an antibiotic-resistant pathogen of growing concern, which is implicated in severe nosocomial infections globally.
