High synergistic antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Algerian honey-honey and honey-plant extracts mixtures

This work aimed to investigate the binary combination effect between ten Algerian honey samples and honey-plant mixtures ( Atriplex halimus L. and Marrubium deserti De Noé) on the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Twenty-two phenolic compounds were identified and quantified using a UHPLC-MS/MS method. The Antioxidant activity was assessed using FRAP, ABTS, and DPPH tests, which showed that all single honeys presented significant antioxidant capacities, especially the sample M ₃ ( Bunium mauritanium honey). Moreover, the binary combinations of almost honeys exhibited significant antioxidant synergistic effects ranging from 1% to 40%. furthermore, the plant extracts significantly enhanced the antioxidant activity of honeys from 5% to 80% in the three assays. The antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (EC), Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) was evaluated using the agar well diffusion method and expressed as µg of gentamicin (CN) equivalent anti-strain capacity (GEAstrain) per g of honey or mixture. The results showed strong significant synergistic properties against the three tested bacterial strains, with an increase in effectiveness from 10% to 80%. The antibacterial activity values were: 0.322- 38312.64 µg CN/g, 0.143–2154.012 µg CN/g and 0.383–15659.174 µg CN/g, for SA, PA and EC, respectively. These results prove that the strong antimicrobial effect of honey binary combinations can serve as a natural alternative for treating illnesses caused by pathogenic microbes.