Safety of transtympanic application of 4 % manuka honey in a
chinchilla animal model
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol, 2013 Dec 14
The antimicrobial and anti-biofilm properties of manuka
honey (MH) are currently being explored in the treatment of chronic
recalcitrant rhinosinusitis. Due to similarities between chronic rhinosinusitis
and chronic otitis, manuka honey may find applications in the management of
challenging cases of chronic otitis media implicating biofilms. The goal of
this study was to investigate the safety of topical application of 4 % MH in
the middle ear. Eleven adult female chinchillas had one of their ears randomly assigned
to receive transtympanic 4 % MH, while the contralateral ear served as control.
Auditory brainstem-evoked response (ABR) was performed before and after MH
application. The facial nerve function and vestibular system were assessed
clinically. The animals were euthanized one month following the last
application, and the cochleae samples were processed for light and scanning
electron microscopy. There was no statistically significant differences between
ABR thresholds in both control and experimental ears before and after the
application of MH. No morphological differences were seen in both groups of
cochleae. The outer hair cell counts for both groups were comparable. Our
results suggest that 4 % MH appears not toxic to the cells of the cochlea after
4 weeks of application. The long-term effects of prolonged contact on the
structure and function of the cochlea however need further investigations.
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