A large body of in vivo and in vitro evidence indicates that Manuka honey resolves inflammation and promotes healing when applied topically to a wound. In this study, the effect of two different concentrations (0.5% and 3% v/v) of Manuka honey on the release of cytokines, chemokines, and matrix-degrading enzymes from neutrophils was examined using a differentiated HL-60 cell line model in the presence of inflammatory stimuli. The results indicate that 0.5% honey decreased TNF-α, IL-1β, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, IL-12 p70, MMP-9, MMP-1, FGF-13, IL-1ra, and IL-4 release, but increased MIP-3α, Proteinase 3, VEGF, and IL-8 levels. In contrast, 3% honey reduced the release of all analytes except TNF-α, whose release was increased. Together, these results demonstrate a dose-dependent ability of Manuka honey to modify the release of cytokines, chemokines, and matrix-degrading enzymes that promote or inhibit inflammation and/or healing within a wound. The findings of this study provide further guidance for the future use of Manuka honey in wounds or tissue engineering templates. Future in vivo investigation is warranted to validate the in vitro results and translate these results to physiologically relevant environments.
Keywords: HL-60; Manuka honey; cytokine; inflammation; neutrophil.