Insights into the role of natural products in the control of the honey bee gut parasite (Nosema spp.)

The honey bee is an important economic insect due to its role in pollinating many agricultural plants. Unfortunately, bees are susceptible to many pathogens, including pests, parasites, bacteria, and viruses, most of which exert a destructive impact on thousands of colonies. The occurrence of resistance to the therapeutic substances used against these organisms is rising, and the residue from these chemicals may accumulate in honey bee products, subsequently affecting the human health. There is current advice to avoid the use of antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, and other drugs in bees, and therefore, it is necessary to develop alternative strategies for the treatment of bee diseases. In this context, the impact of nosema diseases (nosemosis) on bee health and the negative insults of existing drugs are discussed. Moreover, attempts to combat nosema through the use of alternative compounds, including essential oils, plant extracts, and microbes in vitro and in vivo, are documented.Plan of High end Foreign Experts of the Ministry of Science and Technology | Ref. G2022016009

Beyond the pandemic : COVID-19 pandemic changed the face of life

Funding Information: This work was supported by the Swedish Research Council Vetenskapsr?det (VR grant 2016?05885). Funding Information: Acknowledgments: H.R. El-Seedi is very grateful to the Swedish Research links grant VR 2016– 05885 and the Department of Molecular Biosciences, Wenner-Grens Institute, Stockholm University, Sweden, for the financial support. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the au-thors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious challenge for societies around the globe as entire populations have fallen victim to the infectious spread and have taken up social distancing. In many countries, people have had to self-isolate and to be confined to their homes for several weeks to months to prevent the spread of the virus. Social distancing measures have had both negative and positive impacts on various aspects of economies, lifestyles, education, transportation, food supply, health, social life, and mental wellbeing. On other hands, due to reduced population movements and the decline in human activities, gas emissions decreased and the ozone layer improved; this had a positive impact on Earth’s weather and environment. Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic has negative effects on human activities and positive impacts on nature. This study discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on different life aspects including the economy, social life, health, education, and the environment.publishersversionPeer reviewe

The Many Faces of Kefir Fermented Dairy Products : Quality Characteristics, Flavour Chemistry, Nutritional Value, Health Benefits, and Safety

Kefir is a dairy product that can be prepared from different milk types, such as goat, buffalo, sheep, camel, or cow via microbial fermentation (inoculating milk with kefir grains). As such, kefir contains various bacteria and yeasts which influence its chemical and sensory characteristics. A mixture of two kinds of milk promotes kefir sensory and rheological properties aside from improving its nutritional value. Additives such as inulin can also enrich kefir's health qualities and organoleptic characters. Several metabolic products are generated during kefir production and account for its distinct flavour and aroma: Lactic acid, ethanol, carbon dioxide, and aroma compounds such as acetoin and acetaldehyde. During the storage process, microbiological, physicochemical, and sensory characteristics of kefir can further undergo changes, some of which improve its shelf life. Kefir exhibits many health benefits owing to its antimicrobial, anticancer, gastrointestinal tract effects, gut microbiota modulation and anti-diabetic effects. The current review presents the state of the art relating to the role of probiotics, prebiotics, additives, and different manufacturing practices in the context of kefir's physicochemical, sensory, and chemical properties. A review of kefir's many nutritional and health benefits, underlying chemistry and limitations for usage is presented

Unravelling the beehive air volatiles profile as analysed via solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and chemometrics

Objective: Beehive air therapy is recognized as a potential remedy for treating asthma, bronchitis, lung fibrosis, and respiratory tract infections. Developed countries in which beehive air therapy is currently authorized include Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, and Austria. However, scientific proof of its efficacy is lacking which warrants further chemical and biological analyses as a proof of concept. In this study, bee-hive air volatile profile was determined for the first time along with its individual components (bees, venom, honey, and beeswax). Methods: Volatile compounds were collected from beehive air using solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Antimicrobial assay of the air released from 4 beehive products was further performed against Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and multi drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) using the in vitro agar-well diffusion and microtiter plate assays. Results and conclusions: A total of 56 volatile compounds were identified from beehive air, venom, bee insect and wax air including 6 fatty acids, 6 alcohols, 10 aldehydes, 5 esters, 1 ether, 9 hydrocarbons, 1 phenol, 7 ketones, 1 nitrogenous compound and 10 terpenes. The most abundant constituents were short-chain fatty acids (26.32%) while the lowest were the nitrogenous compounds (0.82%). The principal component analysis (PCA) scores plot of the UPLC/MS dataset showed the similarity of the beehive air to the insect bee's aroma profile. With regards to antimicrobial assay, beehive air and venom exerted the strongest antimicrobial activity among the examined bee products against S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, A. baumannii, and MRSA in agar-well diffusion assay but failing to exert an effect using microtiter plate assay as in case of bee venom against the aforementioned bacteria

UPLC-MS/MS Analysis of Naturally Derived Apis mellifera Products and Their Promising Effects against Cadmium-Induced Adverse Effects in Female Rats

Honeybee products arouse interest in society due to their natural origin and range of important biological properties. Propolis (P) and royal jelly (RJ) attract scientists' attention because they exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-tumor, and immunomodulatory abilities. In this study, we tested whether P and RJ could mitigate the adverse effects of cadmium (Cd) exposure, with particular emphasis on the reproductive function in female rats. In this line, one week of pretreatment was established. Six experimental groups were created, including (i) the control group (without any supplementation), (ii) the Cd group (receiving CdCl2 in a dose of 4.5 mg/kg/day), (iii) the P group (50 mg of P/kg/day), (iv) RJ group (200 mg of RJ/kg/day), (v) P + Cd group (rats pretreated with P and then treated with P and Cd simultaneously), (vi) RJ + Cd group (animals pretreated with RJ before receiving CdCl2 simultaneously with RJ). Cd treatment of rats adversely affected a number of measured parameters, including body weight, ovarian structure and ultrastructure, oxidative stress parameters, increased ovarian Cd content and prolonged the estrous cycle. Pretreatment and then cotreatment with P or RJ and Cd alleviated the adverse effects of Cd, transferring the clusters in the PCA analysis chart toward the control group. However, clusters for cotreated groups were still distinctly separated from the control and P, or RJ alone treated groups. Most likely, investigated honeybee products can alter Cd absorption in the gut and/or increase its excretion through the kidneys and/or mitigate oxidative stress by various components. Undoubtedly, pretreatment with P or RJ can effectively prepare the organism to overcome harmful insults. Although the chemical composition of RJ and P is relatively well known, focusing on proportion, duration, and scheme of treatment, as well as the effects of particular components, may provide interesting data in the future. In the era of returning to natural products, both P and RJ seem valuable materials for further consideration as anti-infertility agents

UPLC-MS/MS Analysis of Naturally Derived <i>Apis mellifera</i> Products and Their Promising Effects against Cadmium-Induced Adverse Effects in Female Rats

Honeybee products arouse interest in society due to their natural origin and range of important biological properties. Propolis (P) and royal jelly (RJ) attract scientists’ attention because they exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-tumor, and immunomodulatory abilities. In this study, we tested whether P and RJ could mitigate the adverse effects of cadmium (Cd) exposure, with particular emphasis on the reproductive function in female rats. In this line, one week of pretreatment was established. Six experimental groups were created, including (i) the control group (without any supplementation), (ii) the Cd group (receiving CdCl2 in a dose of 4.5 mg/kg/day), (iii) the P group (50 mg of P/kg/day), (iv) RJ group (200 mg of RJ/kg/day), (v) P + Cd group (rats pretreated with P and then treated with P and Cd simultaneously), (vi) RJ + Cd group (animals pretreated with RJ before receiving CdCl2 simultaneously with RJ). Cd treatment of rats adversely affected a number of measured parameters, including body weight, ovarian structure and ultrastructure, oxidative stress parameters, increased ovarian Cd content and prolonged the estrous cycle. Pretreatment and then cotreatment with P or RJ and Cd alleviated the adverse effects of Cd, transferring the clusters in the PCA analysis chart toward the control group. However, clusters for cotreated groups were still distinctly separated from the control and P, or RJ alone treated groups. Most likely, investigated honeybee products can alter Cd absorption in the gut and/or increase its excretion through the kidneys and/or mitigate oxidative stress by various components. Undoubtedly, pretreatment with P or RJ can effectively prepare the organism to overcome harmful insults. Although the chemical composition of RJ and P is relatively well known, focusing on proportion, duration, and scheme of treatment, as well as the effects of particular components, may provide interesting data in the future. In the era of returning to natural products, both P and RJ seem valuable materials for further consideration as anti-infertility agents

Chemical Profiling and Nutritional Evaluation of Bee Pollen, Bee Bread, and Royal Jelly and Their Role in Functional Fermented Dairy Products

Honeybee products, as multicomponent substances, have been a focus of great interest. The present work aimed to perform the nutritional and chemical profiling and biochemical characterization of bee pollen (BP), bee bread (BB), and royal jelly (RJ) and study their applications in the fortification of functional fermented dairy products. Their effects on starter cultures and the physicochemical and sensorial quality of products were monitored. A molecular networking analysis identified a total of 46 compounds in the three bee products that could be potential medicines, including flavonoids, fatty acids, and peptides. BB showed the highest protein and sugar contents (22.57 and 26.78 g/100 g), which cover 45.14 and 53.56% of their daily values (DVs), with considerable amounts of the essential amino acids threonine and lysine (59.50 and 42.03%). BP, BB, and RJ can be considered sources of iron, as 100 g can cover 141, 198.5, and 94.94% of DV%, respectively. BP was revealed to have the highest phenolic and flavonoid contents (105.68 and 43.91 mu g/g) and showed a synergetic effect when mixed with RJ, resulting in increased antioxidant activity, while BB showed a synergetic effect when mixed with RJ in terms of both antioxidant and proteolytic powers (IC50 7.54, 11.55, 12.15, 12.50, and 12.65 cP compared to the control (10.55 cP)), reflecting their organoleptic properties and highlighting these health-oriented products as promising natural products for human health care

Royal Jelly : Beneficial Properties and Synergistic Effects with Chemotherapeutic Drugs with Particular Emphasis in Anticancer Strategies

Cancer is one of the major causes of death globally. Currently, various methods are used to treat cancer, including radiotherapy, surgery, and chemotherapy, all of which have serious adverse effects. A healthy lifestyle, especially a nutritional diet, plays a critical role in the treatment and prevention of many disorders, including cancer. The above notion, plus the trend in going back to nature, encourages consumers and the food industry to invest more in food products and to find potential candidates that can maintain human health. One of these agents, and a very notable food agent, is royal jelly (RJ), known to be produced by the hypopharyngeal and mandibular salivary glands of young nurse honeybees. RJ contains bioactive substances, such as carbohydrates, protein, lipids, peptides, mineral salts and polyphenols which contribute to the appreciated biological and pharmacological activities. Antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and antibacterial impacts are among the well-recognized benefits. The combination of RJ or its constituents with anticancer drugs has synergistic effects on cancer disorders, enhancing the drug's effectiveness or reducing its side effects. The purpose of the present review is to emphasize the possible interactions between chemotherapy and RJ, or its components, in treating cancer illnesses

Cosmetic Applications of Bee Venom

Bee venom (BV) is a typical toxin secreted by stingers of honeybee workers. BV and BV therapy have long been attractive to different cultures, with extensive studies during recent decades. Nowadays, BV is applied to combat several skin diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris, alopecia, vitiligo, and psoriasis. BV is used extensively in topical preparations as cosmetics and used as dressing for wound healing, as well as in facemasks. Nevertheless, the safety of BV as a therapeutic choice has always been a concern due to the immune system reaction in some people due to BV use. The documented unfavorable impact is explained by the fact that the skin reactions to BV might expand to excessive immunological responses, including anaphylaxis, that typically resolve over numerous days. This review aims to address bee venom therapeutic uses in skin cosmetics

Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) : Food and Medicinal Plant with Potential In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-Cancer Activities

Background/Aim: Plants play an important role in anti-cancer drug discovery, therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate the biological activity of Alpinia zerumbet (A. zerumbet) flowers. Methods: The phytochemical and biological criteria of A. zerumbet were in vitro investigated as well as in mouse xenograft model. Results: A. zerumbet extracts, specially CH2Cl2 and MeOH extracts, exhibited the highest potent anti-tumor activity against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells. The most active CH2Cl2 extract was subjected to bioassay-guided fractionation leading to isolatation of the naturally occurring 5,6-dehydrokawain (DK) which was characterized by IR, MS, H-1-NMR and C-13-NMR. A. zerumbet extracts, specially MeOH and CH2Cl2 extracts, exhibited significant inhibitory activity towards tumor volume (TV). Furthermore, A. zerumbet extracts declined the high level of malonaldehyde (MDA) as well as elevated the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in liver tissue homogenate. Moreover, DK showed anti-proliferative action on different human cancer cell lines. The recorded IC50 values against breast carcinoma (MCF-7), liver carcinoma (Hep-G2) and larynx carcinoma cells (HEP-2) were 3.08, 6.8, and 8.7 mu g/mL, respectively. Conclusion: Taken together, these findings open the door for further investigations in order to explore the potential medicinal properties of A. zerumbet