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Pharmaceuticals
Special Issues
Pharmacological Properties and Therapeutic Potential of Honey Bee Products
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Pharmacological Properties and Therapeutic Potential of Honey Bee Products

A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2024 | Viewed by 1342

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Michał Miłek

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and Food Toxicology, Institute of Food Technology and Nutrition, University of Rzeszow, Ćwiklińskiej 1a St., 35-601 Rzeszów, Poland
Interests: bee products; honey; propolis; bee bread; bee pollen; antioxidant activity; biologically active compounds; polyphenols; medicinal plants; chromatography
Dr. Dana Marcinčáková

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81 Košice, Slovaki
Interests: cell proliferation; cytotoxicity; real-time monitoring; protection; anticytotoxic effect; cell line; antitumor activity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bee products, not only honey but also bee pollen, bee bread, propolis, beeswax, and royal jelly, have been  known and used by humans for a long time, but their bioactivity has still not been sufficiently discovered. Research on the composition of the abovementioned products requires the combined testing of the mechanisms of their pharmacological action, using in vitro and in vivo model systems.

Treating diseases and supporting classical therapeutic methods using bee products and preparations obtained with their participation is a very promising direction and still requires detailed research related to the identification of molecular targets and mechanisms of action of the active substances present in them, as well as their interactions with other therapeutics.

Therefore, we invite scientists working in the field of bee products to share valuable research on the pharmacological and therapeutic aspects of the action of these substances.

Review and research manuscripts on the pharmacological potential of bee products are welcome, especially those concerned with the following:

  • Identification and authentification of bioactive compounds in honey and honey bee products.
  • Molecular mechanisms of action of bee products in the treatment of various diseases.
  • Studies on the effect on cell lines, normal and cancerous.
  • Antimicrobial potential of bee products and mechanisms of action against pathogens.
  • Research on the interaction of bee products with other therapeutics.
  • Research on comprehensive medical preparations containing products of bee origin.
  • The correlation of chemical composition and bioactivity.
  • In silico studies on the pharmacological properties of bee product ingredients.

Dr. Michał Miłek
Dr. Dana Marcinčáková
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceuticals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • honey
  • propolis
  • bee pollen
  • bee bread
  • royal jelly
  • anticancer
  • anti-inflammatory
  • antimicrobial
  • mechanism of action
  • pharmacological properties

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 5335 KiB  
Article
Bee Venom-Loaded Niosomes as Innovative Platforms for Cancer Treatment: Development and Therapeutical Efficacy and Safety Evaluation
by Maria Beatriz Pinto, Patrícia C. Pires, Ricardo C. Calhelha, Ana Rita Silva, Maria João Sousa, Miguel Vilas-Boas, Soraia I. Falcão, Francisco Veiga, Pooyan Makvandi and Ana Cláudia Paiva-Santos
Pharmaceuticals 2024, 17(5), 572; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph17050572 (registering DOI) - 29 Apr 2024
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Abstract
Despite past efforts towards therapeutical innovation, cancer remains a highly incident and lethal disease, with current treatments lacking efficiency and leading to severe side effects. Hence, it is imperative to develop new, more efficient, and safer therapies. Bee venom has proven to have [...] Read more.
Despite past efforts towards therapeutical innovation, cancer remains a highly incident and lethal disease, with current treatments lacking efficiency and leading to severe side effects. Hence, it is imperative to develop new, more efficient, and safer therapies. Bee venom has proven to have multiple and synergistic bioactivities, including antitumor effects. Nevertheless, some toxic effects have been associated with its administration. To tackle these issues, in this work, bee venom-loaded niosomes were developed, for cancer treatment. The vesicles had a small (150 nm) and homogeneous (polydispersity index of 0.162) particle size, and revealed good therapeutic efficacy in in vitro gastric, colorectal, breast, lung, and cervical cancer models (inhibitory concentrations between 12.37 ng/mL and 14.72 ng/mL). Additionally, they also revealed substantial anti-inflammatory activity (inhibitory concentration of 28.98 ng/mL), effects complementary to direct antitumor activity. Niosome safety was also assessed, both in vitro (skin, liver, and kidney cells) and ex vivo (hen’s egg chorioallantoic membrane), and results showed that compound encapsulation increased its safety. Hence, small, and homogeneous bee venom-loaded niosomes were successfully developed, with substantial anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects, making them potentially promising primary or adjuvant cancer therapies. Future research should focus on evaluating the potential of the developed platform in in vivo models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacological Properties and Therapeutic Potential of Honey Bee Products)
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23 pages, 7981 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Supplementation of Royal Jelly (Raydel®) Improves Zebrafish Growth, Embryo Production and Survivability, Blood Lipid Profile and Functionality of Vital Organs: A 72-Weeks’ Consumption Study
by Kyung-Hyun Cho, Hyo-Seon Nam, Ashutosh Bahuguna and Ji-Eun Kim
Pharmaceuticals 2024, 17(3), 324; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph17030324 - 01 Mar 2024
Viewed by 801
Abstract
Royal jelly is a honeybee product with substantial pharmacological and health promotional activities. Nevertheless, the health implications associated with the prolonged dietary supplementation of royal jelly have yet to be elucidated extensively. Herein, 72 weeks of dietary supplementation of royal jelly at 5% [...] Read more.
Royal jelly is a honeybee product with substantial pharmacological and health promotional activities. Nevertheless, the health implications associated with the prolonged dietary supplementation of royal jelly have yet to be elucidated extensively. Herein, 72 weeks of dietary supplementation of royal jelly at 5% and 10% (w/w) were investigated to assess the impact on zebrafish survivability, body weight, liver, testis, ovary functionality, and blood lipid profile. The results revealed no adverse effect of 72 weeks of royal jelly supplementation on zebrafish survivability. Conversely, a noteworthy enhancement in the zebrafish body weight was observed in royal-jelly-supplemented zebrafish in a concentration-dependent manner [5% and 10% (w/w)]. Interestingly, female zebrafish were found to be more biased, with a significant 17% (p < 0.001) and 23% (p < 0.001) higher body weight enhancement after 72 weeks of consumption of 5% and 10% (w/w) royal jelly, compared to the male zebrafish. The histological outcome revealed no sign of hepatotoxicity; moreover, diminished reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptosis were observed in the hepatic tissue of the royal-jelly-supplemented group. Consistent with the histological outcomes, the liver function biomarkers, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), exhibited a significant decrease of 1.9-fold (p = 0.006) and 1.4-fold (p = 0.003) in zebrafish supplemented with royal jelly compared to those on a normal diet (ND) and zebrafish given supplements. Also, no sign of ovary and testis-related toxicity was observed in the royal-jelly-supplemented group during the 72-week period. Furthermore, the 10% (w/w) royal-jelly-consuming zebrafish exhibited a notable 2.1-fold increase (p = 0.018) in egg-laying ability compared to the ND-supplemented zebrafish. The 10% (w/w) royal jelly supplementation also effectively maintained the blood lipid profile by curtailing serum triglycerides (TG) and elevating high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Conclusively, royal jelly dietary supplementation for a prolonged time found royal jelly to be safe to consume, to efficiently improve hepatic function, reproduction, and sexual health, and to augment the serum HDL-C level. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacological Properties and Therapeutic Potential of Honey Bee Products)
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