Stingless Bee Honey May Help Relieve Symptoms and Problems of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

In Vitro Modulation of Endogenous Antioxidant Enzyme Activities and Oxidative Stress in Autism Lymphoblastoid Cell Line (ALCL) by Stingless Bee Honey Treatment

Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2020 Dec 1;2020:4539891

Autism has been associated with a low antioxidant defense mechanism, while honey has been known for decades for its antioxidant and healing properties. Determination of stingless bee honey (KH) effects on antioxidant enzyme activities and oxidative damage in Autism Lymphoblastoid Cell Line (ALCL) was performed. 

ALCL and its normal sibling pair (NALCL) were cultured in RPMI-1640 medium at 37°C and 5% CO2. ALCL was treated with 400 μg/mL KH (24 h), and oxidative stress marker, malondialdehyde (MDA), and antioxidant enzyme activities (catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and superoxide dismutase (SOD)) were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), while deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage was determined via comet assay. 

Low SOD activity (p < 0.05) and high MDA level (p < 0.05) were observed in ALCL compared to NALCL. Higher grade (Grades 2 and 3) of DNA damage was highly observed (p < 0.05) in ALCL compared to NALCL, whereas lower grade (Grades 0 and 1) DNA damage was highly detected (p < 0.05) in NALCL compared to ALCL. KH treatment caused a significant increase in SOD and GPx activities (p < 0.05) in ALCL compared to untreated ALCL. 

Correspondingly, KH treatment reduced the Grade 2 DNA damage (p < 0.05) in ALCL compared to untreated ALCL. CAT activity showed no significant difference between all three groups, while the MDA level showed no significant difference between treated and untreated ALCL. 

In conclusion, KH treatment significantly reduced the oxidative stress in ALCL by increasing the SOD and GPx antioxidant enzyme activities, while reducing the DNA damage...

Conclusions

KH, an antioxidant-rich natural product, has a high potential in alleviating oxidative stress, reducing the oxidative damage, and may help to improve the symptoms and problems of ASD.

Propolis and Bee Pollen May Help Treat High Cholesterol (Excess Triglycerides) and Liver Damage Caused by Type-2 Diabetes

Effect of antioxidant-rich propolis and bee pollen extracts against D-glucose induced type 2 diabetes in rats

Highlights

• Propolis and bee pollen have high antioxidant ability.
• Naringin and Apigenin were the most abundant polyphenolic compounds in propolis and bee pollen, respectively.
• 16 weeks of treatment with D-glucose led to type 2-diabetes, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and hepato-renal damage.
• Propolis and bee pollen attenuated the deleterious effects induced by D-glucose.

The present study was designed to investigate the preventive effect of propolis, bee pollen and their combination on Type 2 diabetes induced by D-glucose in rats. 

The study was carried out by feeding daily two concentrations (100 and 200 mg/Kg BW) of propolis or bee pollen (or their combination to normal (non-diabetic) and diabetic rats for a period of 16 weeks. In vivo biochemical changes associated to diabetes are induced by drinking a solution containing 10% of D-glucose (diabetic rats). The in vitro antioxidant activity was also evaluated and the chemical composition of propolis and bee pollen extracts was determined by UHPLC-DAD. 

Phytochemical composition of propolis and bee pollen revealed the presence of several natural antioxidants, such as hydroxycinnamic acids, hydroxybenzoic acids, flavonoids, flavan-3-ols and stilbens. The major antioxidant compound present in propolis was Naringin (290.19 ± 0.2 mg/Kg) and in bee pollen was apigenin (162.85 ± 17.7 mg/Kg). 

These results have been related with a high antioxidant activity, more intense in propolis extract. In rats, the administration of D-glucose had induced hyperglycemia (13.2 ± 0.82 mmol/L), increased plasmatic insulin levels (25.10 ± 2.12 U/L) and HOMA-IR index (14.72 ± 0.85) accompanied with dyslipidemia, elevation of hepatic enzyme levels, and a change in both serum renal biomarkers and plasmatic calcium. 

The co-administration of propolis and bee pollen extracts alone or in combination restored these biochemical parameters and attenuated the deleterious effects of D-glucose on liver and kidney functions. Furthermore, these effects were better attenuated in the combined therapy-prevented diabetic rats. Hence, it is possible to conclude that propolis and bee pollen can be used as a preventive natural product against diabetes induced dyslipidemia and hepato-renal damage.

Red Propolis May Be Used to Treat Schistosomiasis (Snail Fever, Bilharzia)

In vitro studies and experiments with mice show that the natural extract was more effective than the only drug available to combat this parasitic disease.

Well-known for its bactericidal and anti-fungal properties, Brazilian red propolis has now been found to act powerfully against the parasite that causes schistosomiasis, reducing the number of eggs and killing the helminths (worms).

In experiments performed at Universidade Guarulhos (UnG) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, with FAPESP’s support, 400 milligrams per kilogram of body weight was a sufficient dose of red propolis to reduce the parasite load by more than 60% in mice infected with the flatworm Schistosoma mansoni. It was equally effective against the immature and adult stages of the parasite. In vitro tests also showed that red propolis blocked reproduction and oviposition (egg-laying).

“Propolis, especially the red variety, is well-known for its action against bacteria and fungi. It protects the beehive from intruders, and we expected that some of its more than 20 substances would act against parasitic infectious agents. What surprised us was that it disrupted the worm’s integument and killed adult as well as immature worms, which the conventional treatment for schistosomiasis doesn’t do,” said Josué de Moraes, a professor at UnG and last author of the article on the study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology.

The results of all the tests suggest red propolis may be more effective to treat schistosomiasis than the only pharmaceutical product available for this purpose. Before red propolis can be prescribed for patients, of course, it must be tested in clinical trials on humans with the disease...

Heat Treatment Decreases Antibacterial Activity of Honey

Antimicrobial activity of heat-treated Polish honeys

Food Chem. 2020 Nov 17;128561

Bactericidal properties of honey depend on botanical and geographical origin, where thermal treatment can have a significant affect. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of temperature on minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), vitamin C content, total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity of ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) of several nectar honey varieties from northern Poland (lime, rapeseed, multifloral and buckwheat). The honeys were subjected to thermal treatment at 22 °C, 42 °C, 62 °C, 82 °C and 100 °C for two exposure times. The results showed a significant reduction of antimicrobial properties (MBC ⩾ 50%) at 82 °C and 62 °C after 15 and 120 min exposure time for most samples. Short time exposure reduced vitamin C content (⩽ 50 %) but increased total polyphenols content (⩾ 27%) and FRAP value (⩾ 106%).