Therapeutic Potential of Stingless bee Pollen: A Review

 

Annaas Budi Setyawan1,2*, U.S Mahadeva Rao3, Nur Shafika Mohd Sairazi4

1Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Muhammadiyah Kalimantan Timur, Samarinda, Indonesia.

2PhD Student, Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine,

Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.

3Professor, School of Basic Medical Science, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA),

Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.

4Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), Medical Campus,

Jalan Sultan Mahmud, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.

*Corresponding Author E-mail: abs564@umkt.ac.id

 

ABSTRACT:

Stingless bee pollen is bee pollen from stingless bee, mixture of bee salivary enzymes, regurgitated honey, fermented by native microbes during storage in cerumen pot. Stingless bees are a type of honey producers that commonly live in tropical countries. In regions such as South America, Australia, and Southeast Asia. Recently, stingless bee pollen is a widely used dietary supplement due to the benefits associated with the bioactive compounds it contains. Due to the wide range of phytochemicals (flavonoids, polyphenols, phytosterols, phenolic, carotenoids, glutathione, polyphenols, Mangiferonic acid, vit C, vit E) as well as enzymes and coenzymes contained in stingless bee pollen, it is expected to have health-promoting value. Promising reports on antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, antidiabetic and anti-allergenic functions that can alter or regulate the immune system potentials require long-term and large clinical cohort studies. Integrating all these data and findings into one manuscript could increase the commercial value of stingless bee pollen as food ingredients. This review will also highlight the utility of stingless bee pollen for their medicinal and therapeutic properties, some of which have yet to be discovered.

 

KEYWORDS: Stingless Bee Pollen, Antioxidative, Antidiabetic.

 

 


INTRODUCTION:

Stingless bees are members of the social bee genus Apidae, which is part of the superfamily Apoidea. These highly developed species of bees have been discovered in amber from 80 million years ago. There are currently over 600 species in 61 genera of stingless bees worldwide, with the greatest diversity and abundance in tropical Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia, as well as in South and Central America. These bees are highly eusocial, produce wax and honey, gather pollen and plant resin from the plants they are foraging to eat, build nests, and protect themselves. Around 40 species have great potential as honey makers 1.

 

Stingless bee beekeeping is called meliponiculture. Humans' use of stingless bees is an ancient endeavour, though it is not well documented in the archaeological record 2. Stingless bees collect and chemically modify floral nectars from the abundant plant life in their surroundings using specific organic material such as saliva and enzymes from their cephalic glands 3. The stingless bee products one of which is bee pollen is allowed to mature inside the hives, resulting in a unique with an unusual sour and sweet taste, as well as medicinal properties 1.

 

It is accepted that stingless bee items are prevalent promising sources of naturally dynamic compounds over honeybees, and this will be attributed to the wealthy vegetation within the tropical and subtropical districts where stingless bees are found. In expansion, stingless bees have a few foremost characteristics that make them interesting compared to honeybees, for illustration they are less defenceless to disease (Figure 1)  1.

 

It is essential to note that stingless bee products include propolis and bee pollen in addition to honey (Figure 2). This manuscript provides a comprehensive review as well as the most recent updates on the medicinal properties of stingless bee pollen to raise awareness of the pollen's properties, advantages, and potential future applications.

 

Figure 1. Characteristics of stingless bees that separate them from honeybees

 

It is essential to note that stingless bee products include propolis and bee pollen in addition to honey (Figure 2). This manuscript provides a comprehensive review as well as the most recent updates on the medicinal properties of stingless bee pollen to raise awareness of the pollen's properties, advantages, and potential future applications.

 

Figure 2. Stingless Bee Products (Honey, Bee Pollen, Propolis).

 

STINGLESS BEE POLLEN

Stingless bee pollen is bee pollen from stingless bee, seen as a food supplement that is getting more and more popular. This natural product is the result of bees secreting glands and agglutinating flower pollen with nectar or honey 4. Bee pollen is a combination of bloom dust, nectar, and honeybee discharges. Beekeepers can collect it without damaging the beehive. This natural product, which is getting more and more attention, is recognized as a valuable apitherapeutic product that has the potential to be used in medical and nutritional settings 5

 

It contains proteins, the 22 essential amino acids, starches, lipids, nutrients, and minerals 6.  In addition, it is assumed that the species-specific percentages of honey, bee pollen, and propolis in the beehive are unknown. Syafrizal et al., (2012) have found the percentages of stingless bee from nine Trigona species, 15.4% of honey, 20.9% of bee pollen, and 63.7% of propolis.

 

Relatively similar composition and properties to stingless bee pollen exhibit one of the sweetest and most flavorful bee products honey, which is produced by honeybees from the nectar of flowering plants or secretion of living parts of plants 8. The floral source, environmental factors (such as temperature), the amount of sun or water, and geographical origin all have an impact on the variability of its chemical composition and physical parameters 9

 

HARVESTING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF STINGLESS BEE POLLEN

Stingless Bee Pollen is made by stingless bees using plant pollen as a starting point. Depending on the species of bee, the size of the bee, and the availability of food, stingless bees can travel an average distance of 712 meters during flight 10. Heterotrigona itama, a stingless bee, likes to forage from plants that are closest to their hive, especially from white and cream-colored flowers with high-sugar nectar 11.

 

All the while foraging, forager bees collect nectar and store it in their honey stomach. In Southeast Asia and South America, the profile of pollen that has been collected by various species of stingless bees has been documented 12. Stingless bees collect pollen from underutilized fruits, shrubs, epiphytes, herbs, and lianas, as well as ornamental and tree plants. Because they are smaller than honeybees, they are better able to collect pollen from small flowers like Mimosa pudica and Mimosa caesalpiniaefolia 13.

 

Bees use salivary enzymes (amylase and glucosidase) and honey to moisten, agglutinate, and pack pollen into a "pollen basket" on their hind legs as they collect pollen. When these ingredients are added, flower pollen becomes bee pollen. With nectar, the forager bees return the collected pollen—also known as bee pollen—to their hive. The honeybee Apes is typically the example of a beekeeper who collects bee pollen. Honey bee dust is obtained utilizing a dust trap introduced at the hive entrance, which takes the dust from the honey bees leg by driving the honey bees to slither through a little close opening 14.

 

If the bee pollen is not harvested, bee pollen will pack by worker bees into a beeswax and resin-based cerumen pot for stingless bees or honeycomb cells for honeybees. After the pollen pots are full, they are sealed before being used as a source of protein by larvae or young adult bees. Bee pollen is produced by fermenting in lactic acid during storage 12. Depending on the species, a single stingless bee colony could produce up to 6 kg of bee pollen annually. Bee pollen, also known as "sambura" in Brazil, can be purchased for as much as 247 USD per kilogram. Fresh wet bee pollen may cost up to 95 USD per kilogram in Malaysia 15

 

THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES

Stingless Bee pollen’s primary and secondary metabolites have a wide range of properties and bio actives (figure 3) including antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, antidiabetic and anti-allergenic functions that can alter or regulate the immune system 16 . Stingless Bee pollen compounds are recommended as a valuable dietary supplement due to their nutritional properties 9.

 

ANTIOXIDATIVE OF STINGLESS BEE POLLEN

Barbara et al reported that stingless bee pollen extracts had beneficial nutritional properties. Polyphenols, flavonoids, and fatty acids were found in these extracts, pointing to the antioxidant properties of stingless bee pollen 17. Its health beneficial effect is due to the presence of polyphenols and flavonoids, which are found abundance in stingless bee pollen and contribute to its high antioxidant activity 8.

 

An increase in the concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells causes oxidative stress. ROS are produced by both endogenous and exogenous (environmental) factors21. Increased levels of ROS contribute to cell membrane or DNA damage and are implicated in a variety of cellular responses that induce chronic inflammation. As a result, ROS plays a role in the onset of a wide range of diseases, including cardiovascular, metabolic (diabetes), degenerative (arthritis, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's), and neoplastic disorders 22 .

 

Antioxidative effects (inactivation of oxygen radicals) of stingless bee pollen is perhaps attributable to the activity of antioxidant enzymes as well as to the content of secondary plant metabolites such as phenolic substances, carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin E, and glutathione 23. Flavonoids are the most abundant and most frequently studied class of polyphenols of low molecular weight. Bee pollen contains, among others, quercetin, caffeic acid, caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), rutin, pinocembrin, apigenin, chrysin, galangin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin 11.


 

Figure 3 Stingless Bee pollen’s primary and secondary metabolites have a complementary and alternative public medicine by which the pollen compounds act. Abbreviations: NF-kβ, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells; ROS, reactive oxygen species; TNF-α, tumors necrosis factor alpha; ALA, α-linolenic acid; ↓, decrease/inhibition; ↑, increase/activation 27, 1, 23.


 

It has been demonstrated that the flavonoids in bee pollen are capable of inactivating electrophiles, scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), and preventing their transformation into mutagens 24. The hydrogen from the phenolic hydroxyl groups of flavonoids captures the free radical chain oxidation; thereby, they form stable end-products, which inhibit further oxidation 25. Flavonoids may also remove toxic metals from the body by binding to metal ions. Flavonoids aid in the fight against free radicals and act as a defense against genotoxic or carcinogenic substances 18.

 

The flavonoid content significantly increases in ethanol, methanol/water, and water extracts from stingless bee pollen. As a result, stingless bee pollen extracts have a greater antiradical effect than pollen collected by bees. Stingless bee pollen has a unique antioxidant effect that varies greatly between plants and species 26. In the study of 20 the antioxidant effect of stingless bee pollen extracts decreased SGOT, SGPT and Liver Histopathological Images of Male Rats Wistar Induced by High Fat Diet.

 

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECT

Additionally, some studies suggest that stingless bee pollen extract can lessen inflammation. Melipona fasciculata and Scaptotrigona affinis postica ethanolic stingless bee pollen extracts were administered in induced-oedema mice model in two separate studies. Anti-inflammatory responses were independent of time and dose. After 5 h, the stingless bee pollen treatments were able to reduce the paw volume equivalent to the drug treatment of indomethacin (anti- inflammatory) and cyproheptadine (antihistamine). Further analysis identified the possible mechanism of phenolic compounds to inhibit the release of histamine and reduce prostaglandin synthesis 16.

 

Substantial evidence indicates that stingless bee pollen compounds (e.g., polyphenols or flavonoids) can act on a variety of cells (i.e., macrophages, T cells, B cells, NK cells, hepatocytes, mast cells, basophils, neutrophils cells, eosinophils) play a beneficial role, plays a critical role in host defense against invading pathogens and inflammation 31. The anti-inflammatory effects of flavonoids may be due to the activity of quercetin, which is known to inhibit the metabolism of arachidonic acid 32.

 

Reduction of arachidonic acid levels reduced levels of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins and provided anti-inflammatory effects. As a result, good effects of local analgesia and prevention of platelet aggregation after stingless bee pollen application were observed 33. Another important mechanism of action of stingless bee pollen bio-compounds on cellular function may be the ability to stimulate or inhibit protein phosphorylation, thereby altering cell signaling pathways, including inhibition of cell proliferation 34.

 

Flavoring agents derived from bee pollen, such as anethole, are thought to be potent inhibitors of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation. The nuclear factor (NF) κB pathway is considered a pro-inflammatory signaling pathway through the expression of pro-inflammatory genes, including cytokines and adhesion molecules. Thus, the anti-inflammatory properties of bee pollen are expressed through the inhibition of the pro-inflammatory NF-κB signaling pathway 35.

 

The mechanism of anti-inflammatory effect is also related to the Presence of fatty acids and phytosterols active in the anti-inflammatory process. Stingless Bee pollen has been reported to have a particularly beneficial effect in eliminating swelling of cardiovascular and renal origin. In general, the anti-inflammatory effects of bee pollen have been compared to those of NSAIDs such as naproxen, metamizole, phenylbutazone, or indomethacin 36.


 

Table 1. List of activities study on the antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory, Anticarcinogenic, Antimicrobial, Antidiabetic, Anti-allergenic of Stingless Bee Pollen

Activities

Study

Country of Origin

Species

Reported Properties

Antioxidant

(Harif Fadzilah et al., 2017)

Malaysian

T. thoracica, T. itama and T. apicalis

Phenolic, Flavonoid

(Jorge et al., 2020)

Brazil

Scaptotrigona affinis postica Latreille,

Phenolic, Flavonoid

(Belina-Aldemita et al., 2020)

Philippines

Tetragonula biroi Friese

Polyphenols, Phenolic, Flavonoid

(Wardaniati & Taibah, 2019)

Indonesia

Trigona itama

Flavonoid, polyphenol and carotenoid

(Bárbara et al., 2015)

Brazil

Melipona mandacaia

Phenolic, Flavonoid

(Fiergiyanti et al., 2015)

Indonesia

Trigona incisa         

Alkaloid and phenolic

Anti-inflammatory

(Jorge et al., 2020)

Brazil

Scaptotrigona affinis postica Latreille

Phenolic, Flavonoid

(Ranneh et al., 2019)

Malaysia

Trigona

Phenolic, Flavonoid, Fatty acids

(Vit et al., 2018)   

Mexico

Scaptotrigona mexicana

Polyphenols, Phenolic

(Da Silva et al., 2014)

Brazil

Melipona subnitida

Fatty acids, Phytosterols

Anticarcinogenic

(Vit et al., 2018)   

Mexico

Scaptotrigona mexicana

Polyphenols, Phenolic

(Da Silva et al., 2014)

Brazil

Melipona subnitida

Fatty acids, Phytosterols

(Arung et al., 2021)

Indonesia

H. fimbriata, H. itama, H. bakeri, T.

sarawakensis, T. testaceitarsis, T. fuscobalteata, and T. laeviceps

Tannin, flavonoid, coumarin, Mangiferonic acid.

(Kustiawan et al., 2014)

Indonesia

T. incisa, Timia apicalis, Trigona fusco-balteata and Trigona fuscibasis

Kaempferol, Doxorubicin, Naringenin, Apigenin

Antimicrobial

(Carneiro et al., 2019)

Brazil

Melipona compressipes manaosensis

Phenolics, tannins, flavonoids

(Akhir et al., 2017)

Malaysia

Heterotrigona itama

Phenolics, flavonoids

(Elizabeth Pérez-Pérez et al., 2018)

Australia

Austroplebeia australis, Tetragonula carbonaria, Tetragonula hockingsi

Polyphenols, flavonoids

(Sulbarán-Mora et al., 2018)

Venezuela

Frieseomelitta aff. varia

Melipona, Melipona compressipes, Melipona eburnean, Melipona favosa, Melipona sp. group fulva, Melipona lateralis kangarumensis, Melipona paraensis, Tetragonisca angustula

Phenol, polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins

Antidiabetic

(Othman et al., 2020)

Malaysia

Heterotrigona itama

Flavonoids, phenolic, carotene

(Eleazu et al., 2022)

Malaysia

Geniotrigona thoracic

Phenolic, vit C,

vit E, glutathione

(Nurcahyaning et al., 2018)

Indonesia

Trigona incisa         

Vit C, vit E, and flavonoids.

(Prahastuti et al., 2020)

Indonesia

Heterotrigona fimbriata

Phenolic, carotenoids, vit C, vit E, glutathione

Anti-allergenic

(De Farias et al., 2014)

Brazil

Scaptotrigona postica

Flavonoids, Phenolic, Steroids

(Franchin et al., 2012)

Brazil

Melipona scutellaris

Steroids,

volatile oil compound

(Sabir & Sumidarti, 2017)

Indonesia

Trigona

Scaptotrigona depilis

Flavonoids, ferulic acid

 


ANTICARCINOGENIC ACTIVITY

Several studies have shown that bee pollen has anti-mutagenic properties in certain types of cancer. Anticancer activity may derive from its antioxidant properties, i.e., Inhibits the formation and removal or inactivation of oxygen reactive species (ROS) 37. Additionally, stingless bee pollen has been linked to the induction of apoptosis and the stimulation of the release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) 38. Therefore, it can be hypothesized that stingless bee pollen exerts a cytotoxic effect on cells by inhibiting cell development.

 

Stingless bee pollen from seven stingless bees from East Kalimantan, Indonesia, have exhibited cytotoxicity effect in cancer cell lines (MCF-7, HeLa, and Caco-2). Stingless bee pollen from H. fimbriata showed more cytotoxicity in three cancer cell lines than other stingless bee products 23. Bee pollen extracts from T. incisa and Timia apicalis showed the highest and lowest cytotoxic activity, respectively. Only the HepG2 cell line was broadly sensitive to the bee pollen extracts. For pure compounds, doxorubicin was the most cytotoxic, the four propolis compounds the least, but the ChaGo-I cell line was sensitive to kaempferol and KATO-III was sensitive to kaempferol and apigenin. All pure compounds were effective against the BT474 cell line 39. The inhibition of cancer cell lines treated with stingless bee pollen extracts is probably associated with their antioxidant potential 18

 

By using cell proliferation and cells death assays, the authors demonstrated that stingless bee pollen cytotoxic effect on this glioma cell line was time and dose dependent. Stingless bee pollen also induced nuclear shrinkage, chromatin condensation and nucleus fragmentation, indicating that cellular changes were consistent with the apoptotic characteristics of the cells 29 . Taken together, these studies show exciting initial observations indicating that stingless bee pollen may serve as a potential therapy for cancers and prompts the need for further investigation.

 

ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY

Another potentially exciting application of stingless bee pollen may be related to antimicrobial activity. Stingless bee pollen contains phenolic compounds, which are attributed to antimicrobial properties. Therefore, its importance as an antibacterial agent must be recognized not only against bacteria but also against yeasts and parasites.

 

Bee pollen extract of the stingless bee M. compressipes manaosensis was shown to effectively inhibit Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Mycobacterium smegmatis, and Candida albicans as well as the mosquito larvae C. quinquefasciatus, carrier of the human parasite Wuchereria bancrofti, in concentration-dependent amounts40.

 

Ethanol extract and hexane extract of bee pollen Heterotrigona itama resistant to Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella. Gram-positive bacteria were more sensitive to the bee pollen extract, and the ethanol extract showed stronger antibacterial activity compared to the hexane extract41.

 

Meanwhile, The antimicrobial activity of ethanol and methanol extracts of bee pollen from Austroplebeia australis, Tetragonula carbonaria and Tetragonula hockingsi in Australia was studied. The extract is active against both Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative bacteria (Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Likewise, the use of ethanol extraction showed better results, as shown by the lowest inhibitory concentrations recorded for the ethanol extract of Tetragonula hockingsi bee pollen42.

 

Glycolic bee pollen extracts from Frieseomelitta, Melipona and Tetragonisca spp were studied. from Venezuela, where they were found to be antibacterial against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter cloacae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but not E. coli. Antibacterial activity correlated with phenol content43.

 

ANTIDIABETIC ACTIVITY

Obesity is a public health problem. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.9 billion adults (aged 18 and over) were overweight and 650 million were obese in 2020 44. Several natural products have been studied for their anti-obesity abilities, including stingless bee pollen 45.

 

In study 46 Heterotrigona itama bee pollen  reduces Lee obesity index and Total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), fatty acid synthase (FAS) activity, atherogenic index, oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) and malondialdehyde (MDA) and major Arterial antioxidant enzyme activity (superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione) peroxidase (GPx)) in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese rats. Frontal images of the aorta show smaller fat cells and no atherosclerotic plaques in obese rats supplemented with bee pollen.

 

In another research, 47 studied stingless bee pollen effects on obesity-induced renal pathology. The outcomes showed 0.5 g/kg H. Itama bee pollen attenuated renal pathology caused by obesity by diminishing oxidative stress and downregulating the expressions of inflammatory markers and bax-mediated proapoptotic condition in the kidney of HFD obese rats.

 

In research Nurcahyaning et al., (2018) all doses of stingless bee pollen (0.25 g, 0.63 g and 1.26 g) lowered fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels after hyperglycemia. The dose of stingless bee pollen that lowered the lowest level of FBG was 0.25 g. Stingless bee pollen can reduce FBG levels after hyperglycemia because it contains a master or natural antioxidant that absorbs free radicals and regenerate’s cell. Other studies Stingless bee pollen can reduce SGOT and SGPT levels and improve the histopathological image of the liver on male rats Wistar induced by a high-fat diet 49.

 

ANTI-ALLERGENIC EFFECT

Stingless bee pollen is reported to strengthen the allergenic effect. The allergenic activity of bee pollen is thought to be due to flavonoids, steroids and volatile oil compound 27. The antiallergic activity of stingless bee pollen is manifested by preventing the binding of IgE to its receptors and inhibiting the secretion of histamine, the main irritant of allergic reactions 1

 

Due to its anti-allergenic properties, stingless bee pollen  extract has been used to treat a mouse model of              asthma 50. In this model, rats treated with Stingless bee pollen extracts exhibited reduced progression of allergic as demonstrated by reduced total cell counts in the bronchoalveolar fluid, reduced peribronchovascular inflammation, and inhibition of polymorphonuclear cell entry into the alveolar spaces 50. This study demonstrated that the anti-allergic effects of stingless bee pollen  were comparable to the active control treatment dexamethasone 50. In addition, Stingless bee pollen has been reported to have anti-allergic effect due to decreased IL-1β and TNF-α 51. Other research have shown similar cytokine-mediated anti-allergic effects, as stingless bee pollen extracts decreased IL-6 expression on allergic dental pulp tissues 52.

 

CONCLUSION:

Complementary and alternative therapies are offered as treatments for a variety of ailments. Stingless bee pollen extracts collected from the flowers of various angiosperms can be considered as promising therapeutic and nutritional natural food supplements. Its functional biological properties are attributed to the high content of flavonoids and polyphenols and the remarkable ability to scavenge free radicals. However, more research and more experimental and clinical studies are needed to verify the effectiveness of stingless bee pollen extract, using tests accepted by medical establishments. Another study should focus on methods for isolating active components from stingless bee pollen and experimental testing of individual components or their combinations in different cell lines and clinical treatments. Ethanol/water extracts of stingless bee pollen appear to be the most promising active ingredients, as the highest antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities were found in these products.

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENT:

This review article is part of PhD Work from Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) Malaysia. I would like to first say thank you to my supervisors Prof. Dr. U.S Mahadeva Rao and Dr. Nur Shafika Mohd Sairazi for all the support and encouragement.

 

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Received on 07.03.2023            Modified on 10.04.2023

Accepted on 16.05.2023           © RJPT All right reserved

Research J. Pharm. and Tech 2023; 16(5):2549-2556.

DOI: 10.52711/0974-360X.2023.00419