The Effectiveness of Stingless Bee Honey (Kelulut Honey) Versus Gel in Diabetic Wound Bed Preparation

The Effectiveness of Stingless Bee Honey (Kelulut Honey) Dressing Versus Conventional Gel Dressing for Wound Bed Preparation in Diabetic Patients With Cavity Wounds: A Randomised Controlled Trial

There has been no study yet on the effect of stingless bee honey (Kelulut honey) produced by Melipolini sp. in diabetic wound healing in Malaysia. Kelulut honey, apart from possessing similar pro-healing properties with other honey, is also found to have a better antioxidant capacity, anti-inflammatory, and free radical scavenging activity than Tualang honey. These effects are due to the much higher content of phenolic and flavonoid substances in Kelulut honey, the key bioactive factors promoting wound healing and preventing oxidative stress-related injury. Australian researchers have also recently discovered a novel source of the rare disaccharide trehalose in stingless bee's honey, which is highly anti-diabetic and antioxidating. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of honey against gel dressing for wound bed preparation among diabetic patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male and female
• Aged between 18-70 years old
• Patient with full thickness cavity wound
• Controlled diabetes mellitus (defined as: fasting blood glucose (FBG) < 10 mmol/L upon selection)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severely contaminated wound/infected
• Patient with history of allergy to honey or stingless bee product
• Patients who are immunocompromised or on chronic steroid use ( defined as use of steroid for more than 2 weeks)
• Pregnancy
• End stage renal failure (ESRF) patient