## 4 Discussion  
Amongst the many reported bioactivities, the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of honeys are the most explored [27; 28; 36; 37; 38] to provide supportive evidence for some honeys to be used as natural medicines [33]. Several in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated honey's antioxidant and antibacterial activity [13; 46; 47; 48]. It has been shown that the non  
Figure 8: Comparison of antibacterial activity of honey-loaded products and pure honeys against _E. coli_, _P. aureginosa_, _A. buumanmii_, _K. pneumoniae_. Figure 7: Comparison of antibacterial activity of honey-loaded products and pure honeys against _S. aureus_, _E. faecalis_, _S. epidermidis_, _M. luteus_. sugar honey constituents, including phenolic acids and flavonoids [49], enzymes (e.g., glucose oxidase and catalase) [47], ascorbic acid, proteins and carotenoids [50] all contribute to the antioxidant features of honey. Correlation between a honey's floral origin and its antioxidant capacity has also been demonstrated [49; 51; 52]. With regards to the antibacterial activity, next to high levels of sugar and a low pH that are found across all honeys, the antibacterial properties of so-called peroxide honeys are related to their hydrogen peroxide content, whereas the antibacterial potential of non-peroxide honeys (derived mainly from _Leptospermum_ spp.) correlates to levels of MGO. Other non-peroxide factors, such as lysozymes, phenolic acids and flavonoids, have also been found to contribute to the antibacterial activity of a honey [53]. Taken as a whole, these antioxidant and antibacterial effects offer a unique potential for honeys to be used in wound dressings to assist with the rapid healing of infections, debridement of wounds, vanquishing of inflammation, reduction of scarring tissues and acceleration of angiogenesis along with tissue granulation and epithelial growth [49]. Western Australia is home to 8 of Australia's 15 biodiversity hotspots [41] and has a diverse and often endemic melliferous flora that leads to the production of a wide variety of honeys. WA has, for example, more than 80 different _Leptospermum_ species [41] that are not yet thoroughly investigated as potential sources of non-peroxide honeys, nor are any data available on their bioactivity. As the bioactivities of honeys are often attributable to their floral source, geographical origin and phytochemical profile, at present, the potential of WA honeys as possible future medicinal honeys appears underexplored. However, applying pure honey as a topical agent for the management of wounds can be challenging. Honey's inherent stickiness and liquefaction is inconvenient and hinders its application at an adequate and reproducible dose [40]. Although some honey-based formulations are already commercially available that address these challenges, to date, very few incorporate WA honeys. Furthermore, to our knowledge, no study has yet been conducted to determine the bioactivity (i.e., antioxidant and antibacterial activity) of honey-loaded topical formulations, including those incorporating WA honeys. A prior study presented the manufacturing process and the physicochemical characterization and storage stability of the three types of alginate-based honey formulations prepared using two WA Manuka, one WA Jarrah and one WA Coastal Peppermint honey along with NZ Manuka honey as a comparator [41]. The current study focuses on their antioxidant and antibacterial activity to support potential future clinical applications. Moreover, the focus of this study is extended to investigate if the manufacturing process had any negative impact on a honey's bioactivity. The antioxidant capacity of the honey-loaded products was found to be unchanged compared to that of the corresponding pure honeys. This indicates that the formulation process and also the employed carrier (i.e., sodium alginate) and cross-linking agent (i.e., Calcium chloride) does not affect the antioxidant activity of these honeys. [PERSON] et al.