The comparative study of antibacterial effects of Royal Jelly and Honey and the combination of them against standard strain of Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori is a Gram-negative, microaerophilic spiral rod. About half of the world population is infected with the bacteria that cause gastric and duodenal ulcers, and if untreated and eradication lead to the gastric cancer. Treatment is not easy and requires the administration of high doses of combination antibiotic with extensive and repeated use, in addition to side effects, the incidence of bacterial resistance as a double challenge is posed. So finding an alternative treatment, such as new natural antimicrobial resources including bee products such as honey and royal jelly is necessary. Honey due to high osmolality, low acidity, and content of hydrogen peroxide and non-peroxide components and royal jelly because of Royalisin protein, fatty acid Trans-10-Hydroxy-2- Decenoic acid (10-HAD) and Jelleins peptides; they have a wide spectrum of antibacterial activity. In this study, anti-Helicobacter pylori property of thyme honey and Royal Jelly, harvested from hive located in Damavand region near Tehran-Iran, and mixture of them, against the standard strain of H.pylori ATCC 43504, was evaluated by Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) method. This method as the golden standard technique for determining the sensitivity of microorganisms to antimicrobial agents has been known and in accordance with standard procedures in the British Society For Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) guidelines, was performed. Thyme honey and Royal Jelly and their mixture with positive control sample as cephalexin, had respectively 31.25, 62.5, 31.25, 0.0652 mg/ml MIC against standard strain of H. pylori. There was no synergy effect between honey and Royal Jelly in this study.