Abstract
Honeybee pollen (HBP) chemical composition is highly variable conforming to the floral and geographical origin of the pollen grains. The beneficial effects and functional properties of the HBP are well-known and have been mainly attributed to their high content of antioxidant polyphenols. In this work, twelve HBPs samples from the Southern region of Chile (X Región de Los Lagos) were characterized for the first time according to their botanical origin, phenolic composition, and antioxidant activity. The in vitro gastrointestinal digestion assay was done to simulate the human upper digestive tract. Selected honeybee pollen extracts (HBPEs) were assessed as bioaccessible fractions during an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. Contents of phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity, and recovery index of quercetin, myricetin, and cinnamic acid were monitored in different steps of gastrointestinal digestion. Furthermore, the protective effect of in vitro digested HBP towards DNA damage induced by peroxyl radicals was evaluated. The introduced species Brassica rapa L. (Brassicaceae), Lotus pedunculatus Cav. (Fabaceae), and Ulex europaeus L. (Fabaceae) predominated in all the HBPs analyzed, while the native species Buddleja globosa Hope (Scrophulariaceae), Luma apiculata (DC.) Burret (Myrtaceae), Embothrium coccineum J.R. Forst. & G. Forst. (Proteaceae) and Eucryphia cordifolia Cav. (Cunoniaceae) appeared less frequently. The content of polyphenols and antioxidant capacity in HBPEs achieved full bioaccessibility at the end of the intestinal digestion step. However, results obtained by a state-of-the-art technique (i.e. HPLC-DAD) demonstrated relatively low values of bioaccessible quercetin and cinnamic acid after the digestion process. In contrast, myricetin showed a high bioaccessibility in the intestinal digestion steps. The protective effect of in vitro digested HBP towards DNA damage induced by peroxyl radicals showed promising results (up to 91.2% protection). In conclusion, HBPs from the X Region de Los Lagos are rich sources of phenolic antioxidants that protect DNA from strand breakage. Therefore, the potential of HBPEs in preventing gastric and/or intestinal cancer should be further considered.
Highlights
Honeybee pollen (HBP) loads are a mix of flower pollen from different plant species adhered to by nectar and enzymes secreted by salivary glands of honeybees
Antioxidant capacity, and recovery index of quercetin, myricetin, and cinnamic acid were determined in the different steps of the in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. This is the first report addressing the protective effect of in vitro digested HBP towards DNA damage induced by peroxyl radicals
Monofloral bee pollen has not less than 80% of the same species and multifloral is a mixture of pollen from different taxa where no taxon constitutes more than 80% (Campos et al, 2008)
Summary
Honeybee pollen (HBP) loads are a mix of flower pollen from different plant species adhered to by nectar and enzymes secreted by salivary glands of honeybees. The composition of HBP is quite variable and depends on ecological habitat, geographic origin, or even season (Denisow and Denisow-Pietrzyk, 2016; Ares et al, 2018; Bridi et al, 2019). It contains polysaccharides, lipids, proteins, aminoacids, and simple sugars. It is a source of minerals (Cu, Fe, Zn, K, Na), vitamins, (β-carotene, tocopherol, niacin, thiamine, biotin, folic acid), and a variety of secondary metabolites such as terpenes, carotenoids, and phenolic compounds (Campos et al, 2008; KomosinskaVassev et al, 2015). The ingestion of phenolic compounds has been related to the reduced development of chronic diseases, as sustained by epidemiological studies (Ferrari and Torres, 2003; Torres and Farah, 2017; Soares et al, 2021)
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