Abstract
Plant species are fundamental source of nectar in beekeeping since bees access nectar and pollen from flowers. Consequently, bee products are strongly linked to the bee foraging flora source, and, depending on this, they acquire defined features, including their health and medicinal properties. Medicinal plants contribute greatly to increase the beneficial properties of bee products, such as honey, pollen, royal jelly, and propolis. Bee products represent a potential source of natural antioxidants that can counteract the effects of oxidative stress underlying the pathogenesis of many diseases. The antioxidant properties of bee products have been widely studied and there is an abundance of information available in the literature. Notwithstanding, the uniqueness of the presented perspective is to provide an updated overview of the antioxidant properties of bee products derived from medicinal plants as beekeeping sources. This topic is divided and discussed in the text in different sections as follows: (i) beekeeping and the impacts of environmental factors; (ii) an overview of the role of medicinal plants for bee products; (iii) definition and categorization of the main medicinal bee plants and related bee products; (iv) the study approach of the antioxidant properties; (v) the conventional and innovative assays used for the measurement of the antioxidant activity; and (vi) the antioxidant properties of bee products from medicinal plants.
Highlights
Bee products represent a potential source of natural antioxidants, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, and terpenoids as well as numerous other phytochemicals, which are capable of counteracting the oxidative stress effects underlying the pathogenesis of many diseases [1]
Commonly known as the “bee glue” is a resinous mixture that honeybees produce by mixing their saliva, which contains enzymes and beeswax, with exudate gathered from different plant materials such as leaf and flower buds, stems, and bark cracks of numerous tree species
It is clear that medicinal plants can contribute to the antioxidant activity of bee products along with the honeybee contribution as a living organism; the antioxidant properties can be regarded as an indicator of the melliferous medicinal plant’s potential
Summary
Action causing the decrease of the adverse consequences of reactive oxygen and nitrogen ducing superoxide and metal chelation, thethe radical chainresponsible reactions, and play species, which lead anions to oxidative stress. They canbreak inhibit enzymes for proa preventive role inhibiting the formation of the reactive oxidants species [10]. The current trend of interest in this topic is evident by the substantial amount and typology example, a search on honey throughout the Scopus online database was carried out of the existing published research papers on bee products and antioxidants.
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