In vitro modulation of extracellular matrix genes by stingless bee honey in cellular aging of human dermal fibroblast cells

Honey microbiota, methods for determining the microbiological composition and the antimicrobial effect of honey - A review

Honey is a natural product used since ancient times due to its taste, aroma, and therapeutic properties (antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activity). The purpose of this review is to present the species of microorganisms that can survive in honey and the effect they can have on bees and consumers. The techniques for identifying the microorganisms present in honey are also described in this study. Honey contains bacteria, yeasts, molds, and viruses, and some of them may present beneficial properties for humans. The antimicrobial effect of honey is due to its acidity and high viscosity, high sugar concentration, low water content, the presence of hydrogen peroxide and non-peroxidase components, particularly methylglyoxal (MGO), phenolic acids, flavonoids, proteins, peptides, and non-peroxidase glycopeptides. Honey has antibacterial action (it has effectiveness against bacteria, e.g. Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Acinetobacter, etc.), antifungal (effectiveness against Candida spp., Aspergillus spp., Fusarium spp., Rhizopus spp., and Penicillium spp.), antiviral (effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2, Herpes simplex virus type 1, Influenza virus A and B, Varicella zoster virus), and antiparasitic action (effectiveness against Plasmodium berghei, Giardia and Trichomonas, Toxoplasma gondii) demonstrated by numerous studies that are comprised and discussed in this review.

Molecular bases for the use of functional foods in the management of healthy aging: Berries, curcumin, virgin olive oil and honey; three realities and a promise

As the number of older people has grown in recent decades, the search for new approaches to manage or delay aging is also growing. Among the modifiable factors, diet plays a crucial role in healthy aging and in the prevention of age-related diseases. Thus, the interest in the use of foods, which are rich in bioactive compounds such as functional foods with anti-aging effects is a growing market. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the molecular mechanisms of action of foods considered as functional foods in aging, namely berries, curcumin, and virgin olive oil. Moreover, honey is also analyzed as a food with well-known healthy benefits, but which has not been deeply evaluated from the point of view of aging. The effects of these foods on aging are analyzed from the point of view of molecular mechanisms including oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, genomic stability, telomere attrition, cellular senescence, and deregulated nutrient-sensing. A comprehensive study of the scientific literature shows that the aforementioned foods have demonstrated positive effects on certain aspects of aging, which might justify their use as functional foods in elderly. However, more research is needed, especially in humans, designed to understand in depth the mechanisms of action through which they act.

The potential neuroprotective effects of stingless bee honey

Tropical Meliponini bees produce stingless bee honey (SBH). Studies have shown beneficial properties, including antibacterial, bacteriostatic, anti-inflammatory, neurotherapeutic, neuroprotective, wound, and sunburn healing capabilities. High phenolic acid and flavonoid concentrations offer SBH its benefits. SBH can include flavonoids, phenolic acids, ascorbic acid, tocopherol, organic acids, amino acids, and protein, depending on its botanical and geographic origins. Ursolic acid, p-coumaric acid, and gallic acid may diminish apoptotic signals in neuronal cells, such as nuclear morphological alterations and DNA fragmentation. Antioxidant activity minimizes reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and lowers oxidative stress, inhibiting inflammation by decreasing enzymes generated during inflammation. Flavonoids in honey reduce neuroinflammation by decreasing proinflammatory cytokine and free radical production. Phytochemical components in honey, such as luteolin and phenylalanine, may aid neurological problems. A dietary amino acid, phenylalanine, may improve memory by functioning on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) pathways. Neurotrophin BDNF binds to its major receptor, TrkB, and stimulates downstream signaling cascades, which are crucial for neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity. Through BDNF, SBH can stimulate synaptic plasticity and synaptogenesis, promoting learning and memory. Moreover, BDNF contributes to the adult brain's lasting structural and functional changes during limbic epileptogenesis by acting through the cognate receptor tyrosine receptor kinase B (TrkB). Given the higher antioxidants activity of SBH than the Apis sp. honey, it may be more therapeutically helpful. There is minimal research on SBH's neuroprotective effects, and the related pathways contribute to it is unclear. More research is needed to elucidate the underlying molecular process of SBH on BDNF/TrkB pathways in producing neuroprotective effects.

Advancements in Skin Delivery of Natural Bioactive Products for Wound Management: A Brief Review of Two Decades

Application of modern delivery techniques to natural bioactive products improves their permeability, bioavailability, and therapeutic efficacy. Many natural products have desirable biological properties applicable to wound healing but are limited by their inability to cross the stratum corneum to access the wound. Over the past two decades, modern systems such as microneedles, lipid-based vesicles, hydrogels, composite dressings, and responsive formulations have been applied to natural products such as curcumin or aloe vera to improve their delivery and efficacy. This article reviews which natural products and techniques have been formulated together in the past two decades and the success of these applications for wound healing. Many cultures prefer natural-product-based traditional therapies which are often cheaper and more available than their synthetic counterparts. Improving natural products’ effect can provide novel wound-healing therapies for those who trust traditional compounds over synthetic drugs to reduce medical inequalities.

History, phytochemistry, experimental pharmacology and clinical uses of honey: A comprehensive review with special reference to Unani medicine

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Honey is one of the most popular functional foods, speculated to be in use since the advent of human civilization. Its health-protective activity is endorsed by many religions and traditional medicines. In Unani medicine, honey is prescribed for many health conditions as wound-healing, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, etc. In the present era, honey is gaining popularity over sugar for its myriad health benefits and low glycemic index. This review attempts to provide a comprehensive account of the biological activities and potential therapeutic uses of honey, with scientific evidence.

METHODOLOGY

In this paper, we have provided a comprehensive overview of historical uses, types, physical characteristics, bioactive constituents and pharmacological activities of honey. The information was gathered from Classical Unani textbooks and leading scientific databases. There is a plethora of information regarding various therapeutic activities of honey, and it is daunting to draw practical conclusions. Hence, in this paper, we have tried to summarize those aspects which are most relevant to clinical application.

OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

Many important bioactive constituents are identified in different honey types, e.g. phenolics, proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, organic acids, etc., which exert important biological activities like anti-microbial, wound healing, immunomodulatory, anti-toxin, antioxidant, and many others. Honey has the potential to alleviate many lifestyle disorders, mitigate the adverse effects of drugs and toxins, and also provide healthy nutrition. Although conclusive clinical evidence is not available, yet honey may potentially be a safer alternative to sucrose for diabetic patients.

The use of alternative food sources to improve health and guarantee access and food intake

To feed and provide Food Security to all people in the world is a big challenge to be achieved with the 2030 Agenda. Undernutrition and obesity are to the opposite of a healthy nutritional status. Both conditions are associated with unbalanced nutrition, absence of food or excess of non-nutritive foods intake. These two nutritional conditions associated with food production are closely related to some goals highlighted by the United Nations in the 2030 Agenda to achieve sustainable world development. In this context, the search for alternative foods whose sustainable production and high nutritional quality guarantee regular access to food for the population must be encouraged. Alternative foods can contribute to Food Security in many ways as they contribute to the local economy and income generation. Popularizing and demystifying the uses of unconventional food plants, ancestral grains, flowers, meliponiculture products, and edible insects as sources of nutrients and non-nutrients is another challenge. Herein, we present an overview of alternative foods - some of them cultivated mostly in Brazil - that can be explored as sources of nutrients to fight hunger and malnutrition, improve food production and the economic growth of nations.

Therapeutic Potential of Bioactive Compounds in Honey for Treating Osteoarthritis

Dysregulation of joint tissue homeostasis induces articular degenerative changes and musculoskeletal diseases such as osteoarthritis. This pathology represents the first cause of motor disability in individuals over 60 years of age, impacting their quality of life and the costs of health systems. Nowadays, pharmacological treatments for cartilage disease have failed to achieve full tissue regeneration, resulting in a functional loss of the joint; therefore, joint arthroplasty is the gold standard procedure to cure this pathology in severe cases of Osteoarthritis. A different treatment is the use of anti-inflammatory drugs which mitigate pain and inflammation in some degree, but without significant inhibition of disease progression. In this sense, new therapeutic alternatives based on natural compounds have been proposed to delay osteoarthritis progression, particularly those agents that regulate articular homeostasis. Preclinical studies have shown a therapeutic application of honey and its bioactive compounds, ranging from treating wounds, coughs, skin infections, and are also used as a biological stimulant by exerting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In this article, we reviewed the current medicinal applications of honey with particular emphasis on its use regulating articular homeostasis by inhibiting inflammation and oxidative stress.

Antioxidant-Based Medicinal Properties of Stingless Bee Products: Recent Progress and Future Directions

Stingless bees are a type of honey producers that commonly live in tropical countries. Their use for honey is being abandoned due to its limited production. However, the recent improvements in stingless bee honey production, particularly in South East Asia, have brought stingless bee products back into the picture. Although there are many stingless bee species that produce a wide spread of products, known since old eras in traditional medicine, the modern medical community is still missing more investigational studies on stingless bee products. Whereas comprehensive studies in the current era attest to the biological and medicinal properties of honeybee (Apis mellifera) products, the properties of stingless bee products are less known. This review highlights for the first time the medicinal benefits of stingless bee products (honey, propolis, pollen and cerumen), recent investigations and promising future directions. This review emphasizes the potential antioxidant properties of these products that in turn play a vital role in preventing and treating diseases associated with oxidative stress, microbial infections and inflammatory disorders. Summarizing all these data and insights in one manuscript may increase the commercial value of stingless bee products as a food ingredient. This review will also highlight the utility of stingless bee products in the context of medicinal and therapeutic properties, some of which are yet to be discovered.