Egyptian fennel honey as a potential sustainable and economical alternative to manuka honey: a multi-parameter...

Manuka honey is widely recognized for its wound-healing properties; however, its clinical use is limited by high cost, restricted availability, and increasing concerns regarding adulteration. This study provides a preliminary comparative evaluation of Egyptian fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) honey and certified Manuka honey to investigate the potential of fennel honey as a natural product for wound-healing applications. The botanical origin of fennel honey was confirmed by melissopalynological analysis. Physicochemical properties, total phenolic and flavonoid contents, and qualitative phytochemical composition were characterized by LC-MS. Biological activity was assessed through cytocompatibility, antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and scratch wound-healing assays using Vero and human skin fibroblast cells. Potential molecular mechanisms were explored using network pharmacology and molecular docking. Fennel honey exhibited lower moisture content and slightly higher total flavonoid content than Manuka honey. Qualitative LC-MS profiling revealed both shared and distinctive metabolites, with rosmarinic acid identified as a characteristic constituent of fennel honey, while methylglyoxal was qualitatively detected in both samples. Both honeys showed comparable cytocompatibility and species-dependent antibacterial activity. In the scratch assay, fennel honey promoted greater wound closure than Manuka honey at 100 µg mL^-1 after 48 h (66.0% vs. 50.4%). Network pharmacology predicted the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway as a potential target, while molecular docking suggested favorable binding of quercitrin to PI3K (-10.1 kcal mol^-1). These preliminary findings identify Egyptian fennel honey as a promising natural product for further wound-healing research. However, the qualitative phytochemical analysis, in vitro biological evaluation, and computational predictions require validation by quantitative chemical profiling, mechanistic studies, and in vivo investigations before definitive conclusions can be drawn.