Italian researchers found that a low concentration of multifloral honey altered gene activity, reduced oxidative stress and supported protective responses in laboratory-grown human skin cells exposed to ultraviolet radiation.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Researchers in Italy have found that pretreating human skin cells with multifloral honey may help them withstand some of the cellular stress caused by ultraviolet radiation, although the findings remain limited to laboratory models and do not establish that honey can protect human skin from sun damage.
The study, conducted by a research team at the University of Sassari and described in a press release from the Society for Experimental Biology, examined how several types of human skin cells responded when exposed to ultraviolet radiation after being treated with a 1 percent honey solution.
The scientists reported that the honey-treated cells showed changes associated with stronger antioxidant defenses, lower nitric oxide release and more favorable regulation of genes connected to cellular renewal and aging.
Dr. Fikiye Fulya Kavak, a member of Prof. Margherita Maioli’s research team, said skin stem cells treated with honey displayed increased expression of markers associated with stemness and decreased expression of genes linked to aging.
The results suggest that honey may help skin cells regulate their response to UV-related stress rather than simply accelerating repair activity.
Kavak said the treatment appeared to help the cells reach a healthier balance after ultraviolet exposure by strengthening protective mechanisms while preventing renewal signals from becoming excessive.
The researchers cautioned that the work was performed entirely in cultured cells. It did not test honey on people, and the findings do not support using raw honey as sunscreen or as a substitute for established forms of sun protection.
Honey’s Biological Properties and the Effects of UV Exposure
Honey has long been incorporated into some medical dressings, gels and ointments used for burns and wounds because of its antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and tissue-repair properties.
Its chemical composition varies according to the plants from which bees collect nectar. Multifloral honey contains nectar from multiple botanical sources and may include a complex combination of natural sugars, enzymes, organic acids and phenolic compounds.
Those substances may contribute to honey’s biological activity and its ability to neutralize free radicals and reactive oxygen species, unstable molecules involved in inflammation, tissue damage, aging and disease.
Boukraa Laid wrote in “Honey in Traditional and Modern Medicine” that honey can absorb free radicals and reactive oxygen species and that its properties differ considerably depending on its botanical origin.
Ultraviolet radiation is one of the principal environmental causes of premature skin aging. Repeated exposure can trigger oxidative stress, inflammation, DNA damage and changes in cellular function. Those effects may contribute to wrinkles, loss of elasticity and, in some cases, the development of skin cancer.
Laid also identified ultraviolet radiation as one of the external insults capable of producing acute tissue injury.
Other natural substances and medicinal plants have increasingly been studied for dermatological uses, partly because long-term or inappropriate use of some topical drugs, including steroids, may produce unwanted effects. Honey has attracted particular interest because its biological activity includes action against certain microorganisms that can infect damaged skin.
Researchers Recreated Skin Conditions in a Flowing Cell System
The University of Sassari team studied human skin stem cells, fibroblasts and keratinocytes.
Fibroblasts help produce collagen and other components of connective tissue, while keratinocytes make up most of the epidermis, the skin’s outermost layer. Skin stem cells support tissue maintenance and regeneration.
The cells were grown in a continuously flowing bioreactor designed to more closely approximate physiological conditions than a conventional static laboratory culture.
Before the ultraviolet exposure, selected cultures were treated for 48 hours with a solution containing 1 percent multifloral honey.
Afterward, the researchers used real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction testing to examine gene expression and determine how the cells’ biological responses differed from untreated cultures.
The honey’s mixture of sugars, enzymes and phenolic compounds was identified as a possible source of the observed effects, although the study did not establish which individual components produced each response.
Honey-Treated Cells Showed Antioxidant and Gene-Regulating Effects
The researchers found evidence of a protective response in both skin stem cells and fibroblasts.
Within the stem-cell cultures, honey treatment increased the activity of markers associated with maintaining regenerative characteristics. At the same time, it reduced the expression of genes associated with cellular aging.
The treatment also lowered nitric oxide release and increased overall antioxidant capacity.
Nitric oxide performs several normal functions in the body, but excessive production under conditions of cellular stress can contribute to inflammation and tissue damage.
The researchers interpreted the lower release of nitric oxide and stronger antioxidant response as signs that honey may have reduced some of the stress caused by ultraviolet exposure.
Earlier research has found that consuming honey can increase antioxidant levels in the blood. Other investigations have reported that multifloral and darker-colored honeys may possess strong antioxidant activity and potential anticancer properties, although those findings vary depending on the honey studied and the experimental model used.
The University of Sassari findings add to that body of research by suggesting that honey may also influence how human skin cells regulate repair, aging and oxidative stress after UV exposure.
Findings Remain Preliminary
The researchers emphasized that cell-culture experiments cannot establish whether the same effects would occur when honey is applied to human skin.
Skin is a complex organ with multiple layers, immune responses, blood flow and interactions that cannot be fully reproduced in laboratory dishes or bioreactors.
Additional laboratory work, animal studies and controlled human trials would be required before the findings could support a medical or cosmetic use.
Kavak said the team is working on a nanofiber-based delivery system designed to release honey’s active compounds in a controlled manner. Biological testing of that system is ongoing.
Such a product could potentially deliver selected honey-derived compounds to the skin without the stickiness and variability associated with applying raw honey directly.
The researchers stressed, however, that multifloral honey is not currently an approved treatment for UV damage and should not be considered an alternative to sunscreen, protective clothing or limiting exposure to intense sunlight.
The study instead identifies a possible area for future development of honey-derived ingredients in wound-care or skin-care products after further testing establishes their safety, effectiveness and appropriate dosage.
Source: Natural News
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