| 1. |
- Abd El-Wahed, Aida A., et al.
(författare)
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Unravelling the beehive air volatiles profile as analysed via solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and chemometrics
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of King Saud University – Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 1018-3647 .- 2213-686X. ; 33:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: Beehive air therapy is recognized as a potential remedy for treating asthma, bronchitis, lung fibrosis, and respiratory tract infections. Developed countries in which beehive air therapy is currently authorized include Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, and Austria. However, scientific proof of its efficacy is lacking which warrants further chemical and biological analyses as a proof of concept. In this study, beehive air volatile profile was determined for the first time along with its individual components (bees, venom, honey, and beeswax).Methods: Volatile compounds were collected from beehive air using solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Antimicrobial assay of the air released from 4 beehive products was further performed against Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and multi drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) using the in vitro agar-well diffusion and microtiter plate assays.Results and conclusions: A total of 56 volatile compounds were identified from beehive air, venom, bee insect and wax air including 6 fatty acids, 6 alcohols, 10 aldehydes, 5 esters, 1 ether, 9 hydrocarbons, 1 phenol, 7 ketones, 1 nitrogenous compound and 10 terpenes. The most abundant constituents were short-chain fatty acids (26.32%) while the lowest were the nitrogenous compounds (0.82%). The principal component analysis (PCA) scores plot of the UPLC/MS dataset showed the similarity of the beehive air to the insect bee's aroma profile. With regards to antimicrobial assay, beehive air and venom exerted the strongest antimicrobial activity among the examined bee products against S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, A. baumannii, and MRSA in agar-well diffusion assay but failing to exert an effect using microtiter plate assay as in case of bee venom against the aforementioned bacteria.
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| 2. |
- Khalifa, Shaden A. M., et al.
(författare)
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Overview of Bee Pollination and Its Economic Value for Crop Production
- 2021
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Ingår i: Insects. - : MDPI AG. - 2075-4450. ; 12:8
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pollination plays a significant role in the agriculture sector and serves as a basic pillar for crop production. Plants depend on vectors to move pollen, which can include water, wind, and animal pollinators like bats, moths, hoverflies, birds, bees, butterflies, wasps, thrips, and beetles. Cultivated plants are typically pollinated by animals. Animal-based pollination contributes to 30% of global food production, and bee-pollinated crops contribute to approximately one-third of the total human dietary supply. Bees are considered significant pollinators due to their effectiveness and wide availability. Bee pollination provides excellent value to crop quality and quantity, improving global economic and dietary outcomes. This review highlights the role played by bee pollination, which influences the economy, and enlists the different types of bees and other insects associated with pollination.
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| 3. |
- Yosri, Nermeen, et al.
(författare)
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Anti-Viral and Immunomodulatory Properties of Propolis : Chemical Diversity, Pharmacological Properties, Preclinical and Clinical Applications, and In Silico Potential against SARS-CoV-2
- 2021
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Ingår i: Foods. - : MDPI AG. - 2304-8158. ; 10:8
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- 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 (3CL(pro)), 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 3CL(pro) (Delta G = -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.
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| 4. |
- Khalifa, Shaden A. M., et al.
(författare)
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Bee Pollen : Current Status and Therapeutic Potential
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nutrients. - : MDPI AG. - 2072-6643. ; 13:6
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bee pollen is a combination of plant pollen and honeybee secretions and nectar. The Bible and ancient Egyptian texts are documented proof of its use in public health. It is considered a gold mine of nutrition due to its active components that have significant health and medicinal properties. Bee pollen contains bioactive compounds including proteins, amino acids, lipids, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and polyphenols. The vital components of bee pollen enhance different bodily functions and offer protection against many diseases. It is generally marketed as a functional food with affordable and inexpensive prices with promising future industrial potentials. This review highlights the dietary properties of bee pollen and its influence on human health, and its applications in the food industry.
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| 5. |
- Abd El-Wahed, Aida A., et al.
(författare)
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Cosmetic Applications of Bee Venom
- 2021
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Ingår i: Toxins. - : MDPI AG. - 2072-6651. ; 13:11
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bee venom (BV) is a typical toxin secreted by stingers of honeybee workers. BV and BV therapy have long been attractive to different cultures, with extensive studies during recent decades. Nowadays, BV is applied to combat several skin diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris, alopecia, vitiligo, and psoriasis. BV is used extensively in topical preparations as cosmetics and used as dressing for wound healing, as well as in facemasks. Nevertheless, the safety of BV as a therapeutic choice has always been a concern due to the immune system reaction in some people due to BV use. The documented unfavorable impact is explained by the fact that the skin reactions to BV might expand to excessive immunological responses, including anaphylaxis, that typically resolve over numerous days. This review aims to address bee venom therapeutic uses in skin cosmetics.
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| 6. |
- Abd El-Wahed, Aida, et al.
(författare)
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Wasp Venom Biochemical Components and Their Potential in Biological Applications and Nanotechnological Interventions
- 2021
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Ingår i: Toxins. - : MDPI AG. - 2072-6651. ; 13:3
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Wasps, members of the order Hymenoptera, are distributed in different parts of the world, including Brazil, Thailand, Japan, Korea, and Argentina. The lifestyles of the wasps are solitary and social. Social wasps use venom as a defensive measure to protect their colonies, whereas solitary wasps use their venom to capture prey. Chemically, wasp venom possesses a wide variety of enzymes, proteins, peptides, volatile compounds, and bioactive constituents, which include phospholipase A2, antigen 5, mastoparan, and decoralin. The bioactive constituents have anticancer, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the limited quantities of wasp venom and the scarcity of advanced strategies for the synthesis of wasp venom’s bioactive compounds remain a challenge facing the effective usage of wasp venom. Solid-phase peptide synthesis is currently used to prepare wasp venom peptides and their analogs such as mastoparan, anoplin, decoralin, polybia-CP, and polydim-I. The goal of the current review is to highlight the medicinal value of the wasp venom compounds, as well as limitations and possibilities. Wasp venom could be a potential and novel natural source to develop innovative pharmaceuticals and new agents for drug discovery.
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| 7. |
- Khalifa, Shaden A. M., et al.
(författare)
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Beyond the Pandemic : COVID-19 Pandemic Changed the Face of Life
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI AG. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 18:11
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious challenge for societies around the globe as entire populations have fallen victim to the infectious spread and have taken up social distancing. In many countries, people have had to self-isolate and to be confined to their homes for several weeks to months to prevent the spread of the virus. Social distancing measures have had both negative and positive impacts on various aspects of economies, lifestyles, education, transportation, food supply, health, social life, and mental wellbeing. On other hands, due to reduced population movements and the decline in human activities, gas emissions decreased and the ozone layer improved; this had a positive impact on Earth's weather and environment. Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic has negative effects on human activities and positive impacts on nature. This study discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on different life aspects including the economy, social life, health, education, and the environment.
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