Manuka Honey Has Potential Antitumor Properties for Breast Cancer Patients

honey © Daniel Vincek - stock.adobe.com

Manuka honey may carry anticancer properties, according to the results of a preclinical trial published in Nutrients last month. A team of researchers led by Diana C. Márquez-Garbán, M.D., adjunct professor of hematology and oncology at UCLA, found that Manuka honey slowed the growth of breast cancer tumors in mice by 84%, highlighting the need for further research to potentially develop alternative cancer therapies using Manuka honey.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women worldwide. About 60% to 70% of women with a breast cancer diagnosis have an expression of estrogen receptor alpha in their tumors. For this reason, many women respond well to endocrine therapy. However, breast cancers that cannot be treated with endocrine therapy, such as triple negative breast cancer, often respond best to chemotherapy.

Given the potential toxicity of current anti-cancer drugs, researchers have begun to explore more natural options, such as honey. Honey has been used historically all over the world to treat urinary problems, wound healing, control fever and more.

Manuka honey is known to have antimicrobial, antioxidant and tissue healing properties thanks to high concentrations of methylglyoxal, a byproduct of metabolism. Manuka honey is honey made from the pollen of the Manuka tea tree. It is native to New Zealand and Australia, but it is now produced in many parts of the world. This finding builds upon previous research on Malaysian Tualang honey, which is made by bees living in south and southeast Asia.

To determine its potential effectiveness on breast cancer cells, Márquez-Garbán and her team injected mice with breast cancer cells. When the cells became a certain size, the mice were then given different types of honey orally such as Manuka honey and mesquite honey, a honey native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. There was no notable difference in tumor size when Mesquite honey was used.

“The findings of this study further showed that MH elicited a reduction in serum estradiol levels and a decrease in [estrogen receptor alpha] in tumors as compared to controls,” the researchers write. “These findings are notable because postmenopausal women with elevated serum sex steroids, particularly estrogens, have an increased risk of breast cancer. Estradiol binds and activates tumor cell estrogen receptors that act to promote proliferation and suppress apoptosis by both direct and indirect modulation of target gene transcription.”