醫藥級蜂蜜可消除抗藥性金黃葡萄球桿菌

Medicinal honey kills MRSA

醫藥級蜂蜜可消除抗藥性金黃葡萄球桿菌

Medicinal honey kills the bacteria that cause infections in wounds, such as the antibiotic-resistant MRSA. This has been ascertained by tests by Amsterdam and Wageningen researchers.

醫藥級蜂蜜可消除傷口感染的細菌，如抗藥性金黃葡萄球桿菌。此發現已被阿姆斯特丹及瓦罕寧恩大學的研究團隊，經實驗證實。

It has been known for some time that honey heals wounds through its antimicrobial effect. But the idea of adding biologically active molecules to the honey to speed up the healing process and combat wound infections more effectively is new. B-factory, a spin-off of Plant Research International (PRI), part of Wageningen UR, has been making medical products based on honey for several years. B-factory participated in a research programme by Amsterdam Medical Centre and PRI to further improve honey-bases ointments.

許多人皆知蜂蜜因其具有抗菌效果，可治療傷口，但在蜂蜜中加入活性生物分子，使其加速療程，以及更有效對抗細菌感染，卻是較為新穎的構想。B-factory，隸屬瓦罕寧恩大學研究中心的PRI研究機構，已經著手生產以蜂蜜為基底的醫藥用品多年。B-factory也曾參與由阿姆斯特丹醫學中心，及PRI研究機構的一項研究計畫，研發以蜂蜜為主原料的軟膏用藥。

Amsterdam microbiologist Paul Kwakman researched the addition of certain antimicrobial peptides to honey. These sorts of molecules play a role in the immune system of plants and animals, because they can kill bacteria. Kwakman created an imitation of a human peptide and used it alongside a designed peptide. The latter was particularly effective in killing bacteria in the honey faster. ‘That speed is important’, says Kwakman. ‘In a moist wound the honey could become so diluted that it no longer works. So the ointment has to work fast.’

阿姆斯特丹的微生物學家Paul Kwakman，對在蜂蜜中加入抗菌性的縮氨酸，進行研究。縮氨酸分子對動植物的免疫系統，因其可殺菌的特性，扮演重要關鍵角色。Paul Kwakman進行了一場模擬實驗，他將自人體取樣的縮氨酸分子，與實驗用的縮氨酸分子進行對照，發現實驗用而加入蜂蜜的縮氨酸分子，能更快速有效的殺菌。Paul Kwakman表示：「速度是關鍵。蜂蜜在傷口初始期，因傷口可能流血，而被稀釋，造成功效不彰。因此蜂蜜軟膏的需求更顯急迫。」

The medicinal honey does not work as well as standard antibiotics, but does work against antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSAand ESBL E.coli. ‘More and more bacteriaare developing resistance against more and more antibiotics’, says Kwakman. ‘That increasing resistance is a great concern. Honey could in future offer an alternative to antibioticsfor treating wounds.’ B-factory cannot start using the enriched medicinal honey yet though. More research is needed before new medicines are approved.

醫藥級蜂蜜的功效並不能與正規的抗生素藥物同等，但的確可對抗部分抗藥性細菌，如抗藥性金黃葡萄球桿菌，與大腸埃希氏菌。Paul Kwakman表示：「有越來越多的細菌產生了抗藥性，這是一大議題。在未來，蜂蜜提供了替代抗生素，進行治療傷口的可能性。」但B-factory現今也無法真正運用醫藥級蜂蜜，因為在新醫藥用品被驗證之前，需要更多的相關研究來證實。

Wageningen UR researcher Hans Helsper sees a second route to producing improved medicinal honey. He caused a plant related to tobacco to produce a wound-healing peptide, human EGF, by building the relevant coding gene into the plant. This peptide got into the plant’s nectar so that bees could turn the nectar into honey containing human EGF. Helsper confirmed that the peptide really was present in the honey. ‘The principle works’, he says. The production is too low, however, for an effective honey-based ointment. Moreover, the risks associated with this gene technology product have not yet been researched.

Helsper, Kwakman and B-factory published both studies this month in the scientific journals Plant Biology and European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases.

瓦罕寧恩大學研究中心的研究員Hans Helsper，發掘了第二個方案，用以生產改良後的醫藥級蜂蜜。Hans Helsper以菸葉植物為樣本，在此樣本中，建立相似的基因，培養出可療癒傷口的縮氨酸，與表皮生長因子。將縮氨酸加入此植物樣本的花蜜，如此一來，蜜蜂可協助將花蜜轉化成含有人類表皮生長因子的蜂蜜。Hans Helsper確認蜂蜜中，確實含有縮氨酸。Hans Helsper表示：「這原理是成立的。」然而，目前仍不足以生產製造蜂蜜軟膏。此外，有關基因工程技術的風險，目前仍未被完全研究。Hans Helsper、Paul Kwakman，與B-factory本月已於科學期刊–植物學，及歐洲期刊–臨床微生物學&感染疾病，刊載了他們的研究論敘。

Provided by Wageningen University

資料由瓦罕寧恩大學提供。

·    記者：Albert Sikkema，荷蘭報導

·    日期：February 25, 2011

·    出處：PHYSORG : SCIENCE: PYSICS: TECH: NANO: NEWS

·    參考網址：http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-02-medicinal-honey-mrsa.html

·    翻譯：蜜蜂故事館