The effect of beebread on wound healing in malnourished rabbits
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Date
2014
Authors
Shehu, Muhammad Bello
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Abstract
Beebread is a honey bee product whose completeness in the range of all essential food
components is well documented in many bublished data ( Mercola, J. 2003) .Iit is
made up of bee pollen mixed with enzymes secreted by honey bees The use of Bee
Pollen as a Super food has been documented by Liebelt, R.A., Calcaginetti D.(1999).:
The effects of a bee pollen diet in promoting growth of laboratory rat has been
demontrated ( American Bee Journal,139(5): 390-395).It contains the whole range of
protein, essential amino acids and fatty acids, carbohydrates as well as vitamins and
minerals including trace elements (,Campos, M.G., R.F. Webby and K.R. Markham
2002). The unique occurrence of the flavone aglycone tricetin in bee pollen has been
sited by Campos( M. G 2002) .It contains flavonoids, Selenium in high quantity as
well as other active anti-oxidant elements, and antibacterial effect ( Baltrusaityte
2007) V. P.R. Venskutonis and V. Ceksteryte, demonstrated the radical scavenging
activity of honey and beebread phenolic extracts, Food Chem., 101: 502-514.
Aim of the current study
Despite the above mentioned qualities of beebread, there is not much of
literature documenting relevant scientific research with regard to its application
in clinical medicine. The aim of this study is to explore the potentials of its
nutritional value in improving post operative wound healing in malnourished rabbits.
Methodology
A set of 30 white New Zealand rabbits were used for the study.Six were used for
base line data while 24 were subjected to malnutrition by being fed with 50% of their
daily food requirement for 30 days and then subjected to surgery (laparotomy). They
were then randomly divided into two groups of 12 rabbits each. The control group on
normal rabbit diet and supplemented group received 30% beebread supplementation
in their diet.Half of the supplemented group(6 rabbits out of 12) and half from the
control group(6 rabbits out of 12) were sacrificed on day7 post laparatomy. Tissues
from the laparotomy wound of the sacrifised rabbit were harvested and subjeted to a
analysi s for tensile strenght, fibroblast con tent, neovascularization,epitelization and
hydroxyproline content as assessment tools for quality of wound hea ling.
Another set of 6 rabbits each from the supplementd group and control group were
sacrifsed on day 14 after surgery the same analysis as the first set.
Results
Data obtained from the above analysis indicated significant difference between the
control group on normal rabbit diet and the suplemented group receiving 30% of their
daily diet as beebread supplementation with a p-value < 0.05 with regard to tensile
strengtth,fibroblasts and neovascularization.The result for the epithelization and
hydroxyproline did not indicate a significant differecr with p-value > 0.05.
Conclusion
The result of the study showed better wound healing parameters such as wound
tensile strength,neonvascularization and fibroblsast count in the incision wound of
the supplemented group of rabbits but there was no significant differece in
the epithelization and hydrxyproline content of the supplemented group compared to
the control group.This experiment therefore indicates the possiblity of the use
of beebread in malnourished patients to improve surgical out come.
Description
Keywords
Beebread