Effect of Different Kinds of Honey Native to Grasslands of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province on the Activity of Candida albicans

Honey acts as a powerful and effective dietary compound against many diseases. This study aimed to investigate the effect of different kinds of honey native to grasslands of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Iran, on the activity of Candida albicans.

This laboratory study was performed in 2019. To evaluate the antimicrobial activity,  seven kinds of honey were obtained from Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Iran. Furthermore, they were investigated with Fluconazole against Candida albicans using the measurement of the zone of inhibition diameter, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and live count. Following that, Oak and Forty tropical plant (i.e., Chelgiah) honey were identified to contain the highest antimicrobial activity in the culture medium. Subsequently, 48 laboratory animals were divided into 4 groups (12 animals per group). The first 2 groups were candida-infected animals treated with two natural kinds of honey (Oak and Forty tropical plants). Moreover, group 3 was regarded as a drug control and treated with standard Fluconazole, and the fourth group was a positive control that was under no treatments after being infected with digestive candidiasis. Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 21) using one-way ANOVA and paired t-test.

The results of measurement of the zone of inhibition diameter and MIC showed that at the concentrations of 40% and 50%, Oak and Forty tropical plant honey had the most significant effects on Candida albicans (P