Immunomodulatory Effects of Honey in Wistar Rats Infected with Salmonella typhimurium

Aim: To evaluate the immunomodulatory effects of honey on Wistar rats infected with Salmonella typhimurium.

Place and Duration of Study: Research laboratory of The Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, Nigeria between July, 2019 and September, 2019.

Methodology: A total thirty – nine (39) apparently healthy Wistar rats, three (3) rats per group were used in this study. Twelve (12) out of the rats were used to determine the infectivity dose of S. typhimurium on the rats and twenty – seven (27) rats for infection and treatment assay. The rats were divided into nine (9) groups of 3 rats per group, the first 8 groups were infected with S. typhimurium and treated for seven (7) days with honey, augmentin and oral rehydration solution (ORS) (different treatment for different groups) except group 1 that was infected and not treated and group 9, that was not infected, not treated. The blood samples of all the rats was collected after treatment to study the effect of honey on the haematological parameters of the rats.

Results: Honey administered at 2ml and 3ml twice daily to the S. typhimurium infected rats exerted good therapeutic potential in combating diarrhoea in the animals. Also, in these group of rats, honey caused an increase in the PCV, RBC, HB and lymphocytes which displays honey to be a good immunostimulator and immunomodulator.

Conclusion: Honey exerted therapeutic, haematinic and immunomodulatory potentials in rats infected with S. typhimurium. These findings therefore could be exploited in the treatment of diarrhoeal diseases caused by this bacterium.