Bee products and the treatment of blister-like lesions around the mouth, skin and genitalia caused by herpes viruses-A systematic review

Efficacy of Propolis in the Prevention of Oral Mucositis in Patients Undergoing High-Dose Chemotherapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Oral mucositis is one of the most common symptoms in adults with a hematological cancer who are receiving high-dose chemotherapy. Propolis is a complementary and alternative method used to prevent oral mucositis in these patients.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of propolis in the prevention of oral mucositis in patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy and/or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

METHODS

A total of 64 patients, 32 in the propolis group and 32 in the control group, were enrolled in this prospective randomized controlled experimental study. Whereas the standard oral care treatment protocol was administered to the control group, aqueous propolis extract was applied to the propolis intervention group in addition to the standard oral care treatment protocol. Data collection forms included a Descriptive Information Form, the Karnofsky Performance Scale, the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale-Geriatric, Patient Follow-up Form, the World Health Organization Oral Toxicity Scale, and the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events.

RESULTS

The incidence and duration of oral mucositis were statistically significantly lower in the propolis intervention group than the control group, and the onset of oral mucositis and grade 2 to 3 oral mucositis occurred later ( P < .05).

CONCLUSION

Propolis mouthwash combined with standard oral care treatment delayed the onset of oral mucositis and decreased its incidence and the number of days it lasted.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Mouthwash with propolis can be used as a nursing intervention to decrease oral mucositis and its symptoms in hematological cancer patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy.

Hive Products: Composition, Pharmacological Properties, and Therapeutic Applications

Beekeeping provides products with nutraceutical and pharmaceutical characteristics. These products are characterized by abundance of bioactive compounds. For different reasons, honey, royal jelly, propolis, venom, and pollen are beneficial to humans and animals and could be used as therapeutics. The pharmacological action of these products is related to many of their constituents. The main bioactive components of honey include oligosaccharides, methylglyoxal, royal jelly proteins (MRJPs), and phenolics compounds. Royal jelly contains jelleins, royalisin peptides, MRJPs, and derivatives of hydroxy-decenoic acid, particularly 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA), which possess antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, neuromodulatory, metabolic syndrome-preventing, and anti-aging properties. Propolis has a plethora of activities that are referable to compounds such as caffeic acid phenethyl ester. Peptides found in bee venom include phospholipase A2, apamin, and melittin. In addition to being vitamin-rich, bee pollen also includes unsaturated fatty acids, sterols, and phenolics compounds that express antiatherosclerotic, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, the constituents of hive products are particular and different. All of these constituents have been investigated for their properties in numerous research studies. This review aims to provide a thorough screening of the bioactive chemicals found in honeybee products and their beneficial biological effects. The manuscript may provide impetus to the branch of unconventional medicine that goes by the name of apitherapy.

Exploring the Potential of Bee-Derived Antioxidants for Maintaining Oral Hygiene and Dental Health: A Comprehensive Review

Honey bee products comprise various compounds, including honey, propolis, royal jelly, bee pollen, bee wax and bee venom, which have long been recognized for their pharmacological and health-promoting benefits. Scientists have discovered that periodontal disorders stem from dental biofilm, an inflammatory response to bacterial overgrowth produced by dysbiosis in the oral microbiome. The bee products have been investigated for their role in prevention of oral diseases, which are attributed to a myriad of biologically active compounds including flavonoids (pinocembrin, catechin, caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) and galangin), phenolic acids (hydroxybenzoic acid, hydroxycinnamic acid, p-coumaric, ellagic, caffeic and ferulic acids) and terpenoids. This review aims to update the current understanding of role of selected bee products, namely, honey, propolis and royal jelly, in preventing oral diseases as well as their potential biological activities and mechanism of action in relation to oral health have been discussed. Furthermore, the safety of incorporation of bee products is also critically discussed. To summarize, bee products could potentially serve as a therapy option for people suffering from a variety of oral disorders.

A Comprehensive Overview of Epidemiology, Pathogenesis and the Management of Herpes Labialis

Herpes labialis remains exceedingly prevalent and is one of the most common human viral infections throughout the world. Recurrent herpes labialis evolves from the initial viral infection by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) which subsequently presents with or without symptoms. Reactivation of this virus is triggered by psychosocial factors such as stress, febrile environment, ultraviolet light susceptibility, or specific dietary inadequacy. This virus infection is also characterized by uninterrupted transitions between chronic-latent and acute-recurrent phases, allowing the virus to opportunistically avoid immunity and warrant the transmission to other vulnerable hosts simultaneously. This review comprehensively evaluates the current evidence on epidemiology, pathogenesis, transmission modes, clinical manifestations, and current management options of herpes labialis infections.

The Effects of Propolis on Viral Respiratory Diseases

Propolis remains an interesting source of natural chemical compounds that show, among others, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. Due to the growing incidence of respiratory tract infections caused by various pathogenic viruses, complementary methods of prevention and therapy supporting pharmacotherapy are constantly being sought out. The properties of propolis may be important in the prevention and treatment of respiratory tract diseases caused by viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, influenza viruses, the parainfluenza virus and rhinoviruses. One of the main challenges in recent years has been severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing COVID-19. Recently, an increasing number of studies are focusing on the activity of various propolis preparations against SARS-CoV-2 as an adjuvant treatment for this infection. Propolis has shown a few key mechanisms of anti-SARS-CoV-2 action such as: the inhibition of the interaction of the S1 spike protein and ACE-2 protein; decreasing the replication of viruses by diminishing the synthesis of RNA transcripts in cells; decreasing the particles of coronaviruses. The anti-viral effect is observed not only with extracts but also with the single biologically active compounds found in propolis (e.g., apigenin, caffeic acid, chrysin, kaempferol, quercetin). Moreover, propolis is effective in the treatment of hyperglycemia, which increases the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infections. The aim of the literature review was to summarize recent studies from the PubMed database evaluating the antiviral activity of propolis extracts in terms of prevention and the therapy of respiratory tract diseases (in vitro, in vivo, clinical trials). Based upon this review, it was found that in recent years studies have focused mainly on the assessment of the effectiveness of propolis and its chemical components against COVID-19. Propolis exerts wide-spectrum antimicrobial activities; thus, propolis extracts can be an effective option in the prevention and treatment of co-infections associated with diseases of the respiratory tract.

General Nutritional Profile of Bee Products and Their Potential Antiviral Properties against Mammalian Viruses

Bee products have been extensively employed in traditional therapeutic practices to treat several diseases and microbial infections. Numerous bioactive components of bee products have exhibited several antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anticancer, antiprotozoal, hepatoprotective, and immunomodulatory properties. Apitherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses the bioactive properties of bee products to prevent and/or treat different diseases. This review aims to provide an elaborated vision of the antiviral activities of bee products with recent advances in research. Since ancient times, bee products have been well known for their several medicinal properties. The antiviral and immunomodulatory effects of bee products and their bioactive components are emerging as a promising alternative therapy against several viral infections. Numerous studies have been performed, but many clinical trials should be conducted to evaluate the potential of apitherapy against pathogenic viruses. In that direction, here, we review and highlight the potential roles of bee products as apitherapeutics in combating numerous viral infections. Available studies validate the effectiveness of bee products in virus inhibition. With such significant antiviral potential, bee products and their bioactive components/extracts can be effectively employed as an alternative strategy to improve human health from individual to communal levels as well.

In silico investigation and potential therapeutic approaches of natural products for COVID-19: Computer-aided drug design perspective

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a substantial number of deaths around the world, making it a serious and pressing public health hazard. Phytochemicals could thus provide a rich source of potent and safer anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs. The absence of approved treatments or vaccinations continues to be an issue, forcing the creation of new medicines. Computer-aided drug design has helped to speed up the drug research and development process by decreasing costs and time. Natural compounds like terpenoids, alkaloids, polyphenols, and flavonoid derivatives have a perfect impact against viral replication and facilitate future studies in novel drug discovery. This would be more effective if collaboration took place between governments, researchers, clinicians, and traditional medicine practitioners’ safe and effective therapeutic research. Through a computational approach, this study aims to contribute to the development of effective treatment methods by examining the mechanisms relating to the binding and subsequent inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid (RNA)-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). The in silico method has also been employed to determine the most effective drug among the mentioned compound and their aquatic, nonaquatic, and pharmacokinetics’ data have been analyzed. The highest binding energy has been reported -11.4 kcal/mol against SARS-CoV-2 main protease (7MBG) in L05. Besides, all the ligands are non-carcinogenic, excluding L04, and have good water solubility and no AMES toxicity. The discovery of preclinical drug candidate molecules and the structural elucidation of pharmacological therapeutic targets have expedited both structure-based and ligand-based drug design. This review article will assist physicians and researchers in realizing the enormous potential of computer-aided drug design in the design and discovery of therapeutic molecules, and hence in the treatment of deadly diseases.

Honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies as bioindicators of environmental SARS-CoV-2 occurrence

SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Airflows sustain the infection spread, and in densely urbanized areas airborne particulate matters (PMs) are deemed to aggravate the viral transmission. Apis mellifera colonies are used as bioindicators as they allow environmental sampling of different nature, PMs included. This experiment demonstrates for the first time the possible use of honey bee colonies in the SARS-CoV-2 monitoring. The trial was conducted in Bologna on 18 March 2021, when the third wave of the Italian pandemic was at its peak and environmental conditions allowed high PM concentrations in the air. Sterile swabs were lined up at the hive entrance to sample the dusty material on the body of returning foragers. All of them resulted positive for the target genes of viral SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Likewise, internal samples were taken, but they resulted in no amplification of the target sequences. This experiment does not support speculations about the role of honey bees or their products in SARS-CoV-2 transmission. However, it indicates a novel use of A. mellifera colonies in the environmental detection of airborne human pathogens, at least in a densely urbanized area, deserving better understanding and possible integration with data from automatic air samplers.

The effectiveness of propolis extract in reducing dentin hypersensitivity: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of propolis on dentin hypersensitivity reduction.

DESIGN

The search was conducted in Pubmed, Scopus, Web of science, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature data base (Lilacs), Brazilian Library in Dentistry (BBO), Embase, and Cochrane Library aiming to identify relevant randomized clinical trials that evaluated the effect of propolis on dentin hypersensitivity. The Cochrane Collaboration tool was used for assessing the risk of bias.

RESULTS

From the total of 63 articles found in the search, six clinical trials were selected. All studies reported that propolis was more effective in reducing hypersensitivity than the placebo. No side effects were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, propolis extract can be considered an effective, safe and low-cost alternative to reduce the dentin hypersensitivity.

Anti-Viral and Immunomodulatory Properties of Propolis: Chemical Diversity, Pharmacological Properties, Preclinical and Clinical Applications, and In Silico Potential against SARS-CoV-2

Propolis, a resin produced by honeybees, has long been used as a dietary supplement and folk remedy, and more recent preclinical investigations have demonstrated a large spectrum of potential therapeutic bioactivities, including antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, immunomodulatory, anticancer, and antiviral properties. As an antiviral agent, propolis and various constituents have shown promising preclinical efficacy against adenoviruses, influenza viruses, respiratory tract viruses, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Over 300 chemical components have been identified in propolis, including terpenes, flavonoids, and phenolic acids, with the specific constituent profile varying widely according to geographic origin and regional flora. Propolis and its constituents have demonstrated potential efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 by modulating multiple pathogenic and antiviral pathways. Molecular docking studies have demonstrated high binding affinities of propolis derivatives to multiple SARS-CoV-2 proteins, including 3C-like protease (3CLpro), papain-like protease (PLpro), RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein (S-protein), and helicase (NSP13), as well as to the viral target angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Among these compounds, retusapurpurin A has shown high affinity to 3CLpro (ΔG = -9.4 kcal/mol), RdRp (-7.5), RBD (-7.2), NSP13 (-9.4), and ACE2 (-10.4) and potent inhibition of viral entry by forming hydrogen bonds with amino acid residues within viral and human target proteins. In addition, propolis-derived baccharin demonstrated even higher binding affinity towards PLpro (-8.2 kcal/mol). Measures of drug-likeness parameters, including metabolism, distribution, absorption, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) characteristics, also support the potential of propolis as an effective agent to combat COVID-19.

Pharmaceutical Prospects of Bee Products: Special Focus on Anticancer, Antibacterial, Antiviral, and Antiparasitic Properties

Bee products have long been used in traditional healing practices to treat many types of disorders, including cancer and microbial-related diseases. Indeed, several chemical compounds found in bee products have been demonstrated to display anticancer, antibacterial, antiviral, and antiparasitic properties. With the improvement of research tools and in view of recent advances related to bee products, this review aims to provide broad yet detailed insight into the pharmaceutical prospects of bee products such as honey, propolis, bee pollen, royal jelly, bee bread, beeswax, and bee venom, in the domain of cancer and infectious disease management. Available literature confirms the efficacy of these bee products in the alleviation of cancer progression, inhibition of bacterial and viral proliferation, and mitigation of parasitic-related symptoms. With such potentials, bioactive components isolated from the bee products can be used as an alternative approach in the long-run effort to improve humans’ health at a personal and community level.

The efficacy of olive leaf extract on healing herpes simplex virus labialis: A randomized double-blind study

OBJECTIVE

Herpes simplex virus (HSV), as a common infection in healthy individuals, is treated symptomatically, but drug resistance and the side effects of drugs have drawn the attention of researchers to complementary medicine. Olive Leaf Extract (OLE) has antiviral effects that may treat HSV. The current study aimed to compare the clinical effects of OLE and Acyclovir on HSV-1.

METHODS

This randomized double-blind clinical trial was conducted on 66 patients who had already been diagnosed with HSV-1. The participants were randomized into two groups, receiving 2% OLE cream or 5% acyclovir cream five times a day for six days. The symptoms were evaluated before, and three and six days after the interventions. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software through the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, chi-squared, t-test, and repeated measures ANOVA.

RESULTS

The results showed clinical symptoms decreased in both groups during the study and both medications were effective in the treatment of HSV-1. However, the OLE group experienced less bleeding (P = 0.038), itching (P = 0.002), and pain (P = 0.001) on the third day as well as less irritation (P = 0.012), itching (P = 0.003) and color change (P = 0.001) on the sixth day compared to the acyclovir group. The treatment course for participants in the OLE group was shorter than in the acyclovir group (P = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The evidence from these trials suggests the OLE cream is superior in the healing of episodes of HSV-1 over the acyclovir cream. Future studies are recommended to investigate if OLE could be an adjunct to acyclovir treatment.

Possible Potential Effects of Honey and Its Main Components Against Covid-19 Infection

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral pneumonia that is spreading rapidly worldwide. The main feature of this disease is a severe acute respiratory syndrome and caused by coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). There are several unknowns about the pathogenesis and therapeutically treatment of COVID-19 infection. In addition, available treatment protocols have not been effective in managing COVID-19 infection. It is proposed that natural anti-oxidants such as lemon, green tea, saffron, curcuma longa, etc. with high flavonoids like safranal, crocin, crocetin, catechins, resveratrol, calebin A, curcumin have therapeutic potential against viral infections. In this context, honey and its main components are being investigated as an option for patients with COVID-19. The present study may indicate that honey and its main components inhibit the entry of the virus into the host cell and its replication as well as modulate the inflammatory cascade. This review provides basic information for the possible potential effects of honey and its main components for fighting with SARS-CoV-2.

Historical and modern research on propolis and its application in wound healing and other fields of medicine and contributions by Polish studies

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The history of medical application of propolis (also known as bee glue) dates back to the times of ancient Greeks, Romans, Persians and Egyptians. Honey and other bee products, including propolis, occupy an important place in Polish folk medicine. Scientific research on propolis in Poland began in the early 1960s in Zabrze and continues until now.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

The aim of this review is to provide an overview of information on Polish research on propolis and its medical application with particular emphasis on studies concerning wound healing. Consequently, our goal is also to shed a new light on therapeutic potential of Polish propolis in order to support future research in the field.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A systematic review of scientific literature on propolis and its medical application was performed by using the literature databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar). We paid special attention to papers describing the effect of propolis on skin wound healing as well as to Polish contribution to research on propolis.

RESULTS

Professor Stan Scheller was the first Polish scientist dealing with propolis and its medical potential. His legacy was continued by several research teams that studied the topic in various aspects. They analyzed propolis composition, its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiapoptotic and anticancer properties as well as its application in dentistry and wound treatment. Burn wound healing physiology after propolis administration was thoroughly studied on pig model, whereas research on patients proved the efficacy of propolis in chronic venous leg ulcer treatment.

CONCLUSION

Polish scientists have made a significant contribution to the research on propolis, its biological properties and influence on wound healing. Propolis ointments can effectively accelerate the healing process and improve healing physiology, so they can be recommended as a promising topical medication for wound treatment in the future clinical and preclinical trials.

Survey of reasons why women utilize honey therapeutically, and reasons for not utilizing honey

There are various situations when honey can be reasonably used in cases of disease, for example radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis. We investigated the underlying reasons why women eat honey and why some would refuse to use honey even if it was reasonable to do so. In order to answer these questions, we asked 201 women to answer various questions related to the consumption of honey. We found that the preferred routes of administration change when honey is used as a remedy. Most importantly, we identified “organic beekeeping” and a second factor related to the perception of honey regarding price, handling and health by principal component analysis as relevant regarding the refusal of the use of honey even when scientifically reasonable. If honey is to become an acceptable treatment option, it seems important to address all aspects of ethical beekeeping in the production of medicinal bee products.

Antimicrobial activity of honey in periodontal disease: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Honey has shown positive antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory actions in several dermatological studies; however, it is unclear if it could be effective in the treatment of periodontal disease.

OBJECTIVES

To answer the question: Does honey have antimicrobial activity against periodontopathogens?

METHODS

Six electronic databases were screened from initiation to 31 January 2019 for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and controlled in vitro studies exploring the antimicrobial effect of honey against periodontopathogens. Honey's botanical origin, periopathogens that showed microbial susceptibility to honey, MICs, microbial growth conditions, control product and clinical follow-up were the main investigated outcomes. The risk of bias (RoB) of included RCTs was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration RoB tool. The RoB of in vitro studies was evaluated based on the Sarkis-Onofre judgement model adapted to the context of honey.

RESULTS

A total of 1448 publications were found as search results in the screened databases. Sixteen eligible papers were included based on predetermined inclusion criteria. Retained studies included 5 RCTs and 11 in vitro controlled trials. Manuka and multifloral honeys were the most studied varieties. The tested honeys showed a significant antimicrobial action, with different MICs, against eight periopathogens. Four of the five RCTs showed a high RoB, while 4 of the 11 retained in vitro studies showed a medium RoB.

CONCLUSIONS

Honey showed a significant antimicrobial activity against all targeted periopathogens. Additional experiments are required to explore the entire antimicrobial spectrum of honey towards all pathogens involved in periodontal disease.

Using Bee Products for the Prevention and Treatment of Oral Mucositis Induced by Cancer Treatment

Oral mucositis is one of the most frequent complications after chemotherapy or radiotherapy or a combination of both. There is no standard therapy for its prevention or treatment. Considering that some bee products have been found to be of value in this situation, we decided to analyze the scientific literature on the subject. Scientific publications on bee products were identified by a literature search on Pubmed, Scopus and Google Scholar. There is a lot of evidence regarding the use of honey for oral mucositis due to chemotherapy or radiotherapy or a combination of both. Unfortunately, the quality of several meta-analyses on the topic is very low. There is some evidence on propolis, a little on royal jelly and none whatsoever on pollen and other bee products like apilarnil or bee venom. Bee products such as honey, propolis and royal jelly may be well suited to be integrated into a general concept for the prevention and treatment of oral mucositis which should also include other established concepts like oral care, oral cryotherapy, topical vitamin E and low-level-laser therapy. Bee products could become an integral part in the treatment of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and radio chemotherapy. High-quality meta-analyses and further studies, especially on the combinations of various strategies, are needed.