1st International Apitherapy Zoom Conference from 6 to 8 September 2020, Katowice, Poland

1st International Apitherapy Conference from 6 to 8 of September 2020 Katowice

From 6 to 8 of September, the 1st International Apitherapy Conference will be organized as ZOOM Conference under the auspices of the Medical University of Silesia, International Federation of Apitherapy, Romanian Apitherapy Society and German Apitherapy Society. Our goal is to present the latest developments of using bee products in medicine, pharmacy and cosmetology. The conference will be a forum for the exchange of experience in the field of apitherapy for representatives of scientific centers from Poland and abroad.

We would like to exchange scientific experience and present our achievements at the conference. Let’s meet on Zoom us.

Australian, Malaysian, Brazilian Stingless Bee Honey Has Special Health Properties

Science sweetens native honey health claims

By University of Queensland

Science has validated Indigenous wisdom by identifying a rare, healthy sugar in native stingless bee honey that is not found in any other food.

University of Queensland organic chemist Associate Professor Mary Fletcher said Indigenous peoples had long known that native stingless bee honey had special health properties.

"We tested honey from two Australian native stingless bee species, two in Malaysia and one in Brazil and found that up to 85 per cent of their sugar is trehalulose, not maltose as previously thought," she said.

Dr. Fletcher said trehalulose was a rare sugar with a low glycaemic index (GI), and not found as a major component in any other foods.

"Traditionally it has been thought that stingless bee honey was good for diabetes and now we know why—having a lower GI means it takes longer for the sugar to be absorbed into the blood stream, so there is not a spike in glucose that you get from other sugars," Dr. Fletcher said...

Mayan Propolis Shows Strong Anti-Inflammatory Properties

In vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory properties of Mayan propolis

Propolis has been used traditionally for different human diseases and even recently as dental biomaterials because of its antibacterial, antimycotic, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, a proper correlation between in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory properties has not been clearly established.

...Chemical analysis showed pinocembrin, pinobanksin-3-O-acetate, and pinobanksin-3-O-propionate as the main components of propolis. Macrophage viability was high (106%) when propolis was used up to 50 µg/mL. ELISA studies showed a reduction in the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) up to 145 pg/mL, 350 pg/mL, and 210pg/mL, respectively, while the anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10 and IL-4) were increased up to 833pg/mL and 446 pg/mL. Finally, edema was reduced on paw and ear mice by 9% and 22%, respectively.

Mayan propolis has strong in vitro anti-inflammatory properties without compromising macrophage
viability, resulting in a low-to-mild in vivo anti-inflammatory response.

Royal Jelly and Bee Pollen May Help Treat Menopausal Problems

Apitherapy for menopausal problems

Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2020 Jul 16

Purpose: Apitherapy, a method from the field of complementary and alternative medicine, claims that all health problems including menopausal problems can be cured using bee products, especially honey, bee-collected pollen, propolis, and royal jelly. This study was to investigate the recommendations of protagonists of holistic apitherapy and compare these to the current evidence.

Methods: Since holistic apitherapy is only promoted in books and apitherapeutical congresses, we identified books on the topic in English, French, and German language via bookseller platforms and the JUSTfind system of the Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, Germany, which comprises 337 databases from the EBSCO Discovery Service.

Results: Only 29.5% (n = 38) of the apitherapy books mentioned the topic of menopausal problems. Among these, there were 24 different recommendations. Royal jelly is the number one recommended therapy, followed by pollen, the combination of pollen and royal jelly, and propolis. All other recommendations are mentioned just once. The recommendation regarding royal jelly must be regarded as correct. Strictly speaking, evidence regarding bee-collected pollen is poor, since all studies on pollen did not investigate pollen directly, but pollen extracts and these pollens came from pollen that was anemophilous but not entomophilous.

Conclusion: Royal jelly and pollen could be interesting treatment options in cases of menopausal symptoms. In order to promote bee products for menopausal symptoms with a good conscience trials, comparing bee products against other options, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, C. racemosa extracts, and/or yoga should be initiated, since these methods have already proven their value.

Greek Honey Has Antioxidant, Antiaging and Photoprotective Properties (Ageing, Aging, Seniors, Elderly, Skin Care, Health, Cosmetics)

Honey Extracts Exhibit Cytoprotective Properties Against UVB-Induced Photodamage in Human Experimental Skin Models

Antioxidants (Basel). 2020 Jun 30;9(7):E566

In the present study, we aimed to examine the antioxidant, antiaging and photoprotective properties of Greek honey samples of various botanical and geographical origin. Ethyl-acetate extracts were used and the and the total phenolic/flavonoid content and antioxidant capacity were evaluated. Honey extracts were then studied for their cytoprotective properties against UVB-induced photodamage using human immortalized keratinocytes (HaCaT) and/or reconstituted human skin tissue models. Specifically, the cytotoxicity, oxidative status, DNA damage and gene expression levels of specific matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) were examined.

Overall, the treatment of HaCaT cells with honey extracts resulted in lower levels of DNA strand breaks and attenuated the decrease in cell viability following UVB exposure. Additionally, honey extracts significantly decreased the total protein carbonyl content of the irradiated cells, however, they had no significant effect on their total antioxidant status. Finally, the extracts alleviated the UVB-induced up-regulation of MMPs-3, -7 and -9 in a model of reconstituted skin tissue. In conclusion, honey extracts exhibited significant photoprotective and antiaging properties under UVB exposure conditions and thus could be further exploited as promising agents for developing novel and naturally-based, antiaging cosmeceutical products.