Antibacterial Activity of Honey in Combination with Cinnamon

Emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global concern today. High prevalence of multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria cause the treatments to be less effective or ineffective and finally leads to higher rates of mortality. This situation urges the development of novel antimicrobial agents. Natural products have gained more attention as safe and cost-effective sources of candidate compounds. Honey possesses a potent antibacterial activity against a wide range of bacteria. High osmolarity, acidic pH, hydrogen peroxide production, and presence of nonperoxide compounds provide various mechanisms for honey to act against bacteria. Cinnamon also has the ability to act on a number of bacteria through destruction of cell membranes, anti-quorum sensing effect, ATPase inhibition and membrane porins inhibition. Thus, the combinations of honey and cinnamon have shown important interactions such as synergistic, additive and antagonistic effects due to the interactions among various constituents in them. Their combined action varies depending on the honey type, cinnamon plant species, cinnamon extract type, etc. Therefore, both honey and cinnamon can be considered as good candidates for developing new antimicrobial agents. Further studies are required to isolate and identify bioactive compounds and to clarify their exact mechanisms of action, antibacterial spectrum, and toxicities.