Persian bee propolis and pollen extracts enhanced the non-specific immune response of rainbow trout (Onchorhynchus mykiss) and resistance against Aeromonas hydrophila

The effect of Persian bee propolis and pollen extracts on innate immune response of rainbow trout (Onchorhynchus mykiss) was investigated. Fish were fed diets containing 1% Pollen, 1% propolis and combination of the two immune-stimulants (0.5% Pollen and 0.5% propolis) as treatment groups and fed without the two immune-stimulants as positive and negative control groups for 4 weeks. The effects of different stimulants at different weeks (Time × stimulants) were analyzed with the Repeated Measures ANOVA. The first-four groups were then subjected to Aeromonas hydrophila for 5 days. The phagocytic activity, respiratory burst activity, Plasma Total Protein and cumulative mortality were monitored. The results showed that fish fed diet containing 1% propolos or 0.5% Pollen+ 0.5% propolis enhanced non-specific immunity including respiratory burst activity, phagocytosis but decreases the mortality in challenging with A. hydrophila by 45 and 65%, respectively

Effects of Dietary Supplementation with Honeybee Pollen and Its Supercritical Fluid Extract on Immune Response and Fillet’s Quality of Farmed Gilthead Seabream (Sparus aurata)

The awareness of the correlation between administered diet, fish health and products’ quality has led to the increase in the research for innovative and functional feed ingredients. Herein, a plant-derived product rich in bioactive compounds, such as honeybee pollen (HBP), was included as raw (HBP) and as Supercritical Fluid Extracted (SFE) pollen (HBP_SFE) in the diet for gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata). The experiment was carried out on 90 fish with an average body weight of 294.7 ± 12.8 g, divided into five groups, according to the administration of five diets for 30 days: control diet (CTR); two diets containing HBP at 5% (P5) and at 10% (P10) level of inclusion; two diets containing HBP_SFE, at 0.5% (E0.5) and at 1% (E1) level of inclusion. Their effects were evaluated on 60 specimens (336.2 ± 11.4 g average final body weight) considering the fish growth, the expression of some hepatic genes involved in the inflammatory response (il-1β, il-6 and il-8) through quantitative real-time PCR, and physico-chemical characterization (namely color, texture, water holding capacity, fatty acid profile and lipid peroxidation) of the fish fillets monitored at the beginning (day 0) and after 110 days of storage at −20◦C. The results obtained showed that the treatment with diet E1 determined the up-regulation of il-1β, il-6, and il-8 (p < 0.05); however, this supplementation did not significantly contribute to limiting the oxidative stress. Nevertheless, no detrimental effect on color and the other physical characteristics was observed. These results suggest that a low level of HBP_SFE could be potentially utilized in aquaculture as an immunostimulant more than an antioxidant, but further investigation is necessary

Effects of Dietary Supplementation with Honeybee Pollen and Its Supercritical Fluid Extract on Immune Response and Fillet’s Quality of Farmed Gilthead Seabream (Sparus aurata)

The awareness of the correlation between administered diet, fish health and products’ quality has led to the increase in the research for innovative and functional feed ingredients. Herein, a plant-derived product rich in bioactive compounds, such as honeybee pollen (HBP), was includ-ed as raw (HBP) and as Supercritical Fluid Extracted (SFE) pollen (HBP_SFE) in the diet for gilt-head seabream (Sparus aurata). The experiment was carried out on 90 fish with an average body weight of 294.7 ± 12.8 g, divided into five groups, according to the administration of five diets for 30 days: control diet (CTR); two diets containing HBP at 5% (P5) and at 10% (P10) level of in-clusion; two diets containing HBP_SFE, at 0.5% (E0.5) and at 1% (E1) level of inclusion. Their ef-fects were evaluated on 60 specimens (336.2 ± 11.4 g average final body weight) considering the fish growth, the expression of some hepatic genes involved in the inflammatory response (il-1β, il-6 and il-8) through quantitative real-time PCR, and physico-chemical characterization (namely color, texture, water holding capacity, fatty acid profile and lipid peroxidation) of the fish fillets monitored at the beginning (day 0) and after 110 days of storage at −20 °C. The results obtained showed that the treatment with diet E1 determined the up-regulation of il-1β, il-6, and il-8 (p &lt; 0.05); however, this supplementation did not significantly contribute to limiting the oxidative stress. Nevertheless, no detrimental effect on color and the other physical characteristics was observed. These results suggest that a low level of HBP_SFE could be potentially utilized in aq-uaculture as an immunostimulant more than an antioxidant, but further investigation is neces-sary

EFFECT OF PROPOLIS HONEY CANDY CONSUMPTION ON THE ACTIVITY OF LACTOPEROXIDASE IN STIMULATED SALIVA

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the effect of propolis honey candy consumption on lactoperoxidase (LPO) activity in stimulated saliva.Methods: Stimulated saliva samples were collected from subjects before and after propolis honey candy consumption twice a day for 7 days, and theLPO activity was measured by optical density using a microplate reader.Results: The LPO activity before and after propolis honey candy consumption was found to be 0.010 and 0.013, respectively.Conclusions: A statistically significant increase in the LPO activity after propolis honey candy consumption was observed (Wilcoxon test; p &lt;0.05)

Effect of Chilean propolis on cariogenic bacteria Lactobacillus fermentum

Dental caries is an infectious disease of worldwide public health concern. Among the bacteria involved in this pathology are Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus and organisms belonging to the genera Actinomyces and Lactobacillus. The pharmaceutical industry is focussing on the discovery of new antibacterial products after a greater resistance to those already known. Propolis has been used since ancient times, so their effects against various microorganisms have been already investigated. In our study, we evaluated the antimicrobial effect of 6 commercial ethanolic propolis extracts on the bacterium Lactobacillus fermentum. This bacterium was isolated after its identification by Polymerase Chain Reaction using species specific primers, and after growing microbiological samples from cavities of patients diagnosed with dental caries and with indication of tooth extraction. L. fermentum was detected in 9 of 40 patients, corresponding to 22%. The susceptibility study, carried out by microplate dilution, found antimicrobial activity in four of the six ethanolic extract of propolis used. These differ in the effective concentration against the microorganism, which can be attributed to factors such as the botanical origin, geographic location and harvest season. Among the results, it was noticed that these polyphenols showed concentrations ranging between 9 &plusmn; 0.3 and 85 &plusmn; 2.1 mg/mL. The chromatographic analysis allowed the identification of caffeic acid, myricetin, quercetin, kaempherol, apigenin, pinocembrin, galangin and caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE). Our study demonstrates the antimicrobial action of propolis on L. fermentum, the patogen related to caries development. &nbsp

Oral administration of Gum Arabic: effects on haematological parameters and oxidative stress markers in Mugil cephalus

The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of the oral administration of Gum Arabic on haematological and some oxidative stress markers in Mugil cephalus. For this purpose 60 mullet caught in Faro Lake (Italy), were acclimatized and fed with commercial diet for 20 days prior to the start of experiment, which lasted 15 days. After acclimatization, fish were randomly divided into two equal groups: control group was fed with commercial pellets. Haematological profile on whole blood and sera was assessed, reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs), antioxidant barrier (OXY-ads) and thiol-antioxidant barrier (SHp) were immediately assessed by means of a UV spectrophotometer. Two-way repeated data analysis (ANOVA) showed significant changes only on Thrombocyte Count (TC). In the experimental group an increase in OXY-ads and SHp levels and a significant decrease of d-ROMs were observed after administration of GA

Queen bee larvae meal (Apis mellifera ligustica Spin.) in Dicentrarchus labrax diet: growth performance, haepatointestinal histomorphology and fillet quality

Queen bee (Apis mellifera ligustica Spin.) larvae meal (QBLM) is a valuable by-product of royal jelly production with high nutritional value and biological activities. This work evaluates the effects of its inclusion (1, 2 and 3%) in the diet for 120 European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) (80-day trial) on growth performance, fillet quality, hepatointestinal histomorphology and inflammation. No effects were found in growth performance and marketable traits of fish. No statistical significance was detected for the liver total lipid content, while a trend of increase in n-3 PUFA content was observed in the fillets of QBLM-fed fish. QBLM 3% fillets showed an improved oxidative status, with lower conjugated dienes (CD) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) values. Liver histomorphometry showed that diets influenced the shape of the hepatocytes. Hepatocyte nuclear dimensions were significantly higher in QBLM-fed groups compared to the control (CTRL). QBLM 3% fed fish did not show nuclear displacement and presented a more regular-tissue morphology. Moreover, a lower level of hepatocyte hypertrophy and leukocyte infiltration was observed in QBLM 2% and QBLM 3% fed fish. The Liver Histopathological Index was significantly lower in fish fed the QBLM enriched diets. A significant reduction of TNFα and COX2 immunopositivity was found in the liver of QBLM 3% compared to the CTRL. Intestinal histology showed that the inclusion of QBLM reduced the tissue structural damage, and the number of goblet cells compared to the CTRL group. No significant differences were found for TNFα immunoexpression in the intestine. Based on these results, the inclusion of QBLM in the diet produced beneficial effects on the health of European sea bass, especially at the highest tested inclusion dose (3%). In conclusion, QBLM appears to be a promising sustainable and environmentally friendly feed ingredient in the aquaculture sector