Applications of Beehive Products for Wound Repair and Skin Care

Abstract

There is a long and interesting history between honeybees and humans. From the beginning, honey has been utilized not only as a sweetener, but also as an ointment and a drug to treat several diseases. Until the discovery of antibiotics, honey was a very popular product used to protect and preserve skin and promote wound healing, to counteract gastrointestinal pains and disorders of the oral cavity, and for other diseases. After the development of antibiotic resistance, honey again gained interest for its use in wound management. Subsequently, more recently, in vitro and in vivo studies have displayed antimicrobial, antioxidant, and other effects of honey and honeybee products, as well as protection of cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, and gastrointestinal systems. Moreover, recent studies have demonstrated that beehive products are also able to influence the phenotype of skin cells, such as keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells, involved in correct wound healing. This review will characterize the great potential of honeybee products in the field of health and skin care, considering that honey is a virtually inexhaustible natural resource which people, as bees have been domesticated over the centuries, can freely access.