International Journal of Scientific Reports | February 2020 | Vol 6 | Issue 2 Page 61 International Journal of Scientific Reports Hossain R et al. Int J Sci Rep. 2020 Feb;6(2):61-66 http://www.sci-rep.com pISSN 2454-2156 | eISSN 2454-2164 Original Research Article Antibacterial efficacy of black seed honey in combination with penicillin and amoxiclav against gram-positive bacteria Rozely Hossain 1 , M. S. Rahman 2 , M. A. Rayhan 1 , Kashfia Nawrin 3 , Mohammad M. Billah 3 *, M. R. Habib 4 INTRODUCTION Nigella sativa (known as black seed), is an annual flowering herb of Ranunculacea family and widely found in Europe, Middle East and Western Asia with its many local names, e.g. black cumin (English), black caraway seeds (USA), shonaiz (Persian) and kalajira (Bengali). 1 Honey derived from black seed flower is considered one of the oldest sweeter since ancient time and famous as a natural agent in the treatment of wounds, dyspepsia, ABSTRACT Background: The emergence of antimicrobial resistance possesses a great threat for the existence of mankind. Antibiotics like penicillin and amoxiclav are at the brink of losing their efficacy entirely in exposure to resistant bacteria. Thus, the present study was aimed to find out the antibacterial efficacy of black seed honey as an alternative natural source which can act independently and boost the efficacy of standard drugs alongside. Methods: Penicillin, amoxiclav and black seed honey were first individually trailed against four gram-positive bacteria - Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Micrococcus luteus. Afterwards, penicillin and amoxiclav were used in combination with honey and compared the synergistic effects with their individual efficacy. Zones of inhibition from well diffusion method, percentage inhibition, minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations by microdilution method were determined in the present study. Results: Black seed honey alone demonstrated great inhibitory potential against S. aureus (9.7 mm), S. epidermidis (9.9 mm) and M. luteus (9.3 mm) in well diffusion method. Moreover, its combination with amoxiclav showed synergistic effect against all bacteria except S. epidermidis. However, its conjugation with penicillin was not able to produce any synergism as exhibited by zones of inhibition. The lowest concentration (1.56%) of honey applied individually or in combination in microdilution method found highly effective which established an inverse dose dependent relationship with efficacy. Conclusions: From the data it can be concluded that the black seed honey is a highly potent natural agent which can be utilized in antimicrobial therapy. However, further investigation is recommended to identify the responsible compound for such activity. Keywords: Black seed honey, Well diffusion, Percentage inhibition, Minimum inhibitory, Minimum bactericidal concentration 1 Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, East West University, Bangladesh 2 Department of Microbiology, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh 3 Department of Pharmacology, Institute for Pharmaceutical Skill Development and Research, Bangladesh 4 Directorate General of Drug Administration, Bangladesh Received: 01 November 2019 Accepted: 12 December 2019 Accepted: 13 December 2019 *Correspondence: Mr. Mohammad M. Billah, E-mail: mustakimbillah@hotmail.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18203/issn.2454-2156.IntJSciRep20200196