Protective effects of Manuka honey on LPS-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages. - GreenMedInfo Summary

Manuka honey (MH) is a monofloral honey from Australia and New Zealand, well-known for its healthy properties, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial and wound healing capacities. The aim of this work was to assess the phenolic composition and the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of MH, as well as its effects on cellular viability, proliferation, apoptosis and metabolism in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages, highlighting the molecular mechanisms involved. Up to 18 compounds were identified in MH, with gallic acid and quercetin as the major ones; MH showed also remarkable TAC. In addition, MH was able to enhance cellular viability, decrease apoptosis, promote wound healing and attenuate inflammation in a dose-dependent manner, by reducing the expression of caspase 3, p-p38 and p-Erk1/2 proteins, in macrophages stressed with LPS. In addition, it improved mitochondrial respiration and glycolytic activities, stimulating the expression of p-AMPK, SIRT1 and PGC1α, counteracting in this way the deleterious effects of LPS treatment. In conclusion, one of the possible mechanisms by which MH exerts its beneficial effects could be to its capacity to improve cellular viability, promote proliferation and enhance energetic metabolism, by modulating the expressionof several proteins involved in apoptosis, inflammation, metabolism and mitochondrial biogenesis.