Bee Pollen: Current Status and Therapeutic Potential.

Bee pollen is a combination of plant pollen and honeybee secretions and nectar. The Bible and ancient Egyptian texts are documented proof of its use in public health. It is considered a gold mine of nutrition due to its active components that have significant health and medicinal properties. Bee pollen contains bioactive compounds including proteins, amino acids, lipids, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and polyphenols. The vital components of bee pollen enhance different bodily functions and offer protection against many diseases. It is generally marketed as a functional food with affordable and inexpensive prices with promising future industrial potentials. This review highlights the dietary properties of bee pollen and its influence on human health, and its applications in the food industry

Biotransformation of perfumery terpenoids, (−)-ambrox® by a fungal culture <it>Macrophomina phaseolina</it> and a plant cell suspension culture of <it>Peganum harmala</it>

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Biotransformation offers chemo enzymatic system to modify the compounds into their novel analogues which are difficult to synthesize by chemical methods. This paper describes the biotransformational studies of ambrox, one of the most important components of natural Ambergris (wale sperm) with fungal and plant cell culture.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Biotransformation of (−)-ambrox (<b>1</b>) with a fungal cell culture of <it>Macrophomina phaseolina</it> and a plant cell suspension cultures of <it>Peganum harmala</it> yielded oxygenated products, 3<it>β</it>-hydroxyambrox (<b>2</b>), 6<it>β</it>-hydroxyambrox (<b>3</b>), 1<it>α</it>-hydroxy-3oxoambrox (<b>4</b>), 1<it>α</it>,3<it>β</it>-dihydroxyambrox (<b>5</b>), 13,14,15,16-tetranorlabdane-3-oxo-8,12-diol (<b>6</b>), 3-oxoambrox (<b>7</b>), 2<it>α</it>-hydroxyambrox (<b>8</b>), 3<it>β</it>-hydroxysclareolide (<b>9</b>), and 2<it>α</it>,3<it>β</it>-dihydroxyambrox (<b>10</b>). Metabolite <b>4</b> was found to be new compound. These metabolites were structurally characterized on the basis of spectroscopic studies.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Nine oxygenated metabolites of (−)-ambrox (<b>1</b>) were obtained from <it>Macrophomina phaseolina</it> and <it>Peganum harmala.</it> Enzymatic system of screened organisms introduced hydroxyl and keto functionalities at various positions of compound <b>1</b> in a stereo- and regio-controlled manner.</p