Screening of Selected Stingless Bee Honey Varieties for ACE2-Spike Protein-Binding Inhibition Activity: A Potential Preventive Medicine Against SARS-Cov-2 Infection.

The broader objective of this study is to identify natural materials that might inhibit the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We have focused on stingless bee honey, which has a unique taste that is both sweet and sour and sometimes bitter. We screened 12 samples of honey from 11 species of stingless bees using an angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)-spike protein-binding assay and phytochemical analysis. Ten of the samples showed inhibition above 50% in this assay system. Most of the honey contained tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpenoids, carotenoids and carbohydrates. Our findings in this in vitro study showed that honey from stingless bees may have a potent effect against SARS-CoV-2 infection by inhibiting the ACE2-spike protein-binding.

Cytotoxicity effect of honey, bee pollen, and propolis from seven stingless bees in some cancer cell lines.

Our effort to find new material for anti cancer from natural resources leads us to focus on stingless bee products such as honey, bee pollen, and propolis. The products were from seven stingless bees named Homotrigona fimbriata, Heterotrigona itama, Heterotrigona bakeri, Tetragonula sarawakensis, Tetragonula testaceitarsis, Tetragonula fuscobalteata, Tetragonula laeviceps. The stingless bee products were evaluated for their cytotoxicity effect on MCF-7, HeLa and Caco-2 cancer cell lines. This is the first time to be reported that the honey, ethanol extracts of bee pollen and propolis of H. fimbriata displayed more potent cytotoxicity than other stingless bee products. By chromatography and biological activity-guided fractionation, ethanol extract of propolis from H. fimbriata was fractionated and isolated its active compound named mangiferonic acid. Mangiferonic acid showed a cytotoxicity effect with IC50 values 96.76 µM in MCF-7, >110.04 µM in HeLa, and > 110.04 µM in Caco-2, respectively. These results exhibited the potential of ethanol extracts from propolis of H. fimbriata to be further developed for drug and experiments to verify the function are essential.

Effect of polyphenols from Vicia faba L on lipase activity and melanogenesis.

Two new flavonoid glycosides, kaempferol 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1→6) (3''-acetyl)-ß-D-galactopyranoside 1 and kaempferol 3-O-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-5-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside 2, along with six known ones 3-8 were isolated from the flowers of Vicia faba L. (Fabaceae). Methanol extract and the isolated compounds were tested against lipase and melanogenesis inhibition activities and resulted in that compound 2 showed 53 and 77% lipase inhibition activity in concentrations of 400 and 800 µg/mL, respectively. For melanogenesis, compounds 2, 3 and 4 exhibited potent melanogenesis inhibition activity where the melanin content in melanoma cells was decreased to be about 57.5, 56 and 61%, respectively, with no obvious melanocytotoxicity. The rest of compounds showed weak to moderate activity. The results of melanogenesis inhibition activity of this study suggested the potential use of Vicia faba flowers as a skin-whitening agent and reveal the flowers to be a rich source of important phytochemicals with antilipase and melanogenesis inhibitory activity.

Anti-obesity activity of Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) powder in ovariectomized mice, and its potentially active compounds.

Hericium erinaceus (H. erinaceus) improves the symptoms of menopause. In this study, using ovariectomized mice as a model of menopause, we investigated the anti-obesity effect of this mushroom in menopause. Mice fed diets containing H. erinaceus powder showed significant decreases in the amounts of fat tissue, plasma levels of total cholesterol, and leptin. To determine the mechanism, groups of mice were respectively fed a diet containing H. erinaceus powder, a diet containing ethanol extract of H. erinaceus, and a diet containing a residue of the extract. As a result, H. erinaceus powder was found to increase fecal lipid levels in excreted matter. Further in vitro investigation showed that ethanol extract inhibited the activity of lipase, and four lipase-inhibitory compounds were isolated from the extract: hericenone C, hericenone D, hericenone F, and hericenone G. In short, we suggest that H. erinaceus has an anti-obesity effect during menopause because it decreases the ability to absorb lipids.

Phytoremediation of 4,4'-thiodiphenol (TDP) and other bisphenol derivatives by Portulaca oleracea cv.

4,4'-Thiodiphenol (TDP) is a bisphenol derivative, and there has been no report on TDP removal by any plants or pure bacterial cultures. The removal of TDP by Portulaca oleracea cv., a floricultural herbal plant, was examined with a hydroculture system, and 97% of TDP was removed after 4 days culture.