# Honey Therapy in Diabetic Foot Ulcers: A Promising Strategy for Effective Wound Healing
## 6 Honey in Diabetic Foot Treatment
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline
**Authors** & **Sample Profile** & **Treatments** & **Honey Characteristics** & **Results** \\ \cline{2-5}
**(Country)** & **DFUs Stage** & **Treatments** & **Honey Characteristics** & **Results** \\ \hline \multirow{4}{*}{[PERSON] et al., 2023 (\(n=5\))} & Patients with diabetes (n = 5) & Patients with diabetes & & Wound reduction, healing, and infection control. Reduced exudate secretion, odor, and wound-related pain. \\  & (n = 5) & Medical grade honey & nr & \\ \cline{2-5}
**Cach Republic** [147] & Age. 61.6 years & Medical grade honey & nr & \\ \cline{2-5}
**Treat** & & & & \\ \cline{2-5}
**Treat** & & & & \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: General characteristics of studies in which DFUs in humans were treated with honey. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline
**Authors** & **Animal Models** & **Reagents** & **Honey Characteristics** & **Results** \\ \cline{2-5}
**(Country)** & **Animal** & **Time of Intervention** & **Treat** & **Honey Characteristics** & **Results** \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{\begin{tabular}{c} [PERSON] et al., 2014 \\ (Korea) [41] \\ \end{tabular} } & Diabetic (db/db) female mice & Honey-carboxymethyl cellulose & \multirow{2}{*}{\begin{tabular}{c} Propulsion honey from Seoul Propulsion \\ hydrology vs. chlorophyll \\ 5 weeks old \\ \end{tabular} } & Honey-carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogel \\  & (n = nyt) & cellulose hydroxy & no treatment & Co, Ltd. (Daejeon, Republic of \\ 5 weeks old & Intervention time: 15 days & Korea) & other groups. \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{\
\begin{tabular}{c} [PERSON] et al., 2012 \\ (Korea) [138] \\ \end{tabular} } & Diabetic (db/db) male mice & Chestnut honey hydrogel vs. water & Chestnut honey & \multirow{2}{*}{
\begin{tabular}{c} Higher wound closure rate caused by chestnut \\ 10 weeks old \\ \end{tabular} } \\  & & hydrogen vs. non-treated control & (_Catalons_ sativa) & & honey hydrogel than water hydrogel. \\ \cline{2-5}
**Treat** & & & & \\ \cline{2-5}
**Treat** & & & & \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: _Cont._  
\begin{table} \begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline
**Authors** & **Sample Profile** & **Treatments** & **Honey Characteristics** & **Results** \\ (**Countury**) & **DFUs Stage** & & & \\ \hline [PERSON] et al., 2014 & Patients with diabetes (n = 172) & Honey & ns & Wounds were healed within a range of 7–35 days. \\ (Saudi Arabia) [141] & Age: 25-70 years & Honey & ns & \\  & nr & & & \\ \hline \end{tabular} \begin{tabular}{c} Patients with diabetes \\ (Saudi Arabia) [141] & Patients with diabetes \\ (Saudi Arabia) [140] & Honey vs. table grass dressings & Maruka honey UMF 15 & In six weeks to 61.3% of patients treated with binary complexity based tests 11.5%, treated with full grass (p < 0.05). \\ \hline [PERSON] et al., 2012 & Type II diabetic patients (n = 69) & Honey dressing vs. saline-soxoked \\ (Greve) [110] & Age: \(56\pm 14\) years & guaze dressings & honey \\  & Wagner grades I and II & & \\ \hline \end{tabular}   
\begin{tabular}{c} Patients with diabetes \\ (Pakistan) [143] & Age: \(56\pm 8\) years \\ (Pakistan) [143] & Age: \(56\pm 8\) years \\ (Maj  
Finally, two recent meta-analyses showed that the use of honey dressings was associated with higher wound healing and bacterial clearance rates after one week and two weeks of treatment, respectively [150], as well as accelerated granulation and reductions in hospitalization and incurred pain [151]. Moreover, the use of honey was associated with shorter bacterial clearance, wound debridement, and wound healing time periods when compared to other dressing types [150]. All of this evidence supports the notion that honey is a suitable and promisor biomaterial for wound healing, especially for DFU treatment.