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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Frontiers in Microbiology

Translational plausibility of honey-derived antimicrobial biomaterials against biofilm-associated infections

  • António Machado1,2,3
  • Juraj Majtan4,5
  • José M. Álvarez-Suárez6
6 affiliations
  1. 1Laboratório de Biofilmes, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade dos Açores (UAc)
  2. 2CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, BIOPOLIS Programa em Genómica, Biodiversidade e Planeamento; Cátedra Unesco Terra no Mar: Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade em Ilhas Atlânticas, Universidade dos Açores
  3. 3Laboratorio de Bacteriología, Instituto de Microbiología, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales COCIBA, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ
  4. 4Laboratory of Apidology and Apitherapy, Department of Microbial Genetics, Institute of Molecular Biology, Slovak Academy of Sciences
  5. 5Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Slovak Medical University
  6. 6Laboratorio de Investigación en Ingeniería en Alimentos (LabInAli), Departamento de Ingeniería en Alimentos, Colegio de Ciencias e Ingenierías, Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ)
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Abstract

Chronic biofilm-associated infections drive antimicrobial resistance (AMR) via prolonged systemic antibiotic therapy that is often ineffective. Honeys from Apis mellifera and stingless bees (Meliponini) exhibit antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity via complementary mechanisms: osmotic stress, low pH, hydrogen peroxide, methylglyoxal, bee defensin-1, and phenolic and organic compounds. This is most effective when concentrated at the application site. Yet honey therapeutics are often framed as systemic nutraceuticals despite biologically incoherent pharmacokinetics. We propose translational plausibility, an analytical framework built on four interdependent dimensions: spatial, temporal, dose, and compositional coherence that distinguishes microbiologically defensible interventions from speculative ones, applicable beyond honey to natural-product antimicrobials. Applied to honey, the framework identifies topical, localized application as the only translationally coherent clinical route. Reframed as ecological therapeutic biomaterials, honeys address interconnected AMR priorities: disrupting polymicrobial ESKAPE biofilms, preserving distant microbiotas, reducing systemic antibiotic use in wound care, potentiating antibiotics, and supporting stewardship. Planetary health benefits, pollinator conservation, meliponiculture, and equitable access emerge as corollaries, not primary justification.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{machado2026translational,
  title = {{Translational plausibility of honey-derived antimicrobial biomaterials against biofilm-associated infections}},
  author = {António Machado and Juraj Majtan and José M. Álvarez-Suárez},
  journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2026.1971766},
  url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1971766/full},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Translational plausibility of honey-derived antimicrobial biomaterials against biofilm-associated infections
AU  - António Machado
AU  - Juraj Majtan
AU  - José M. Álvarez-Suárez
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/26
JO  - Frontiers in Microbiology
DO  - 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1971766
UR  - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1971766/full
AB  - Chronic biofilm-associated infections drive antimicrobial resistance (AMR) via prolonged systemic antibiotic therapy that is often ineffective. Honeys from Apis mellifera and stingless bees (Meliponini) exhibit antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity via complementary mechanisms: osmotic stress, low pH, hydrogen peroxide, methylglyoxal, bee defensin-1, and phenolic and organic compounds. This is most effective when concentrated at the application site. Yet honey therapeutics are often framed as systemic nutraceuticals despite biologically incoherent pharmacokinetics. We propose translational plausibility, an analytical framework built on four interdependent dimensions: spatial, temporal, dose, and compositional coherence that distinguishes microbiologically defensible interventions from speculative ones, applicable beyond honey to natural-product antimicrobials. Applied to honey, the framework identifies topical, localized application as the only translationally coherent clinical route. Reframed as ecological therapeutic biomaterials, honeys address interconnected AMR priorities: disrupting polymicrobial ESKAPE biofilms, preserving distant microbiotas, reducing systemic antibiotic use in wound care, potentiating antibiotics, and supporting stewardship. Planetary health benefits, pollinator conservation, meliponiculture, and equitable access emerge as corollaries, not primary justification.
SN  - 1664-302X
ER  -