investigating antibacterial activity of monofloral iranian honey types

Background: we have previously reported that monoclonal iranian honey from different floral sources exhibits a large range of anti-hiv activity owing to the methylglyoxal isolated from honey. this study aims to investigate the antibacterial properties of eight mono-floral iranian honey samples. additionally, a significant association between the floral sources and the anti-hiv effects of iranian honey has been formerly reported.methods: the antibacterial activities of iranian honey samples were measured using disc diffusion and microbroth dilution methods. the total flavonoid content of each sample was spectrophotometrically evaluated. the best results for the in silico antibacterial activity of the iranian honeys with the most effective activity in vitro were obtained using the pyrx software. molecular docking between flavonoids and 6 target proteins (topoisomerase atpase inhibitor, penicillin-binding protein, d-alanine d-alanine synthase, dihydrofolate reductase, dihydropteroate synthetase, and isoleucyl-trna synthetase) was investigated.results: the results showed that mono-floral honey from zataria multiflora and chamaemelum nobile showed the highest antibacterial effects against bacillus subtilis, streptococcus pyogenes, proteus vulgaris, bacillus licheniformis, proteus mirabilis, and staphylococcus saprophyticus. mono-floral iranian honey from astragalus gummifer, petroselinum sativum, ziziphus mauritiana, citrus sinensis, nigella sativa, and citrus aurantium flowers exhibited weak antibacterial activities. however, none of these samples had any effect on escherichia coli, serratia marcescens, salmonella enterica, or staphylococcus aureus. flavonoid contents of z. multiflora and c. nobile honey were significantly different from the other mono-floral honey types. the results of the docking study showed that each compound had an appropriate interaction with the targets. the analysis of the docking results showed that flavonoids had the greatest effect on dihydrofolate reductase (3srw) and d-alanined-alanine ligase (2zdq). conclusion: the antibacterial properties of mono-floral honey types are linked to the levels of total flavonoids present, particularly apigenin, quercetin, and kaempferol, which are abundant in certain iranian honey types. these honey types may be promising candidates for preclinical testing of antibacterial therapies.