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Antibiotics
Special Issues
Antimicrobial Activities of Bioactive Components from Honeybee Products
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Antimicrobial Activities of Bioactive Components from Honeybee Products

A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Novel Antimicrobial Agents".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 2138

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Otilia Bobis

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Guest Editor
Life Science Institute “King Michael I of Romania”, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj, Manastur St. 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: food chemistry; bee products; plant extracts; isolation and characterization of plant extracts; chromatography; spectrometry; in vitro evaluations of biological activity of bee products (honey, propolis, bee pollen, royal jelly); foods and plant extracts
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Adriana Cristina Urcan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Animal Science and Biotechnologies, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: microbiology; antimicrobial properties of bee products (bee pollen, bee bread, honey, propolis); microbial resistance, probiotic activity, foods and plant extracts characterization of bioactive compounds, antimicrobial activity of plant extracts, spectrometry.
Dr. Claudia Pașca

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Apiculture and Sericulture Unit, Faculty of Animal Science and Biotechnologies, University of Agricultural Science and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: Apis mellifera; propolis; bee pollen; bioactive compounds of bee products; animal biotechnology; environmental biotechnology; physicochemical analysis; antimicrobial activities of plants and bee products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural compounds from honeybee products with biological properties currently offer a real alternative to conventional antibiotics. The antimicrobial activities of honeybee products stem from their complex composition, which includes phenolic compounds, flavonoids, enzymes, and organic acids. These bioactive compounds inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi, and viruses through various mechanisms, including disruption of cell membranes, interference with bacterial enzyme function, and the generation of reactive oxygen species. As the global health crisis of antibiotic resistance intensifies, these natural substances from honeybee products offer promising solutions due to their unique and multifaceted mechanisms of action, which differ from traditional antibiotics.

This Special Issue titled “Antimicrobial Activities of Bioactive Components from Honeybee Products” works in parallel with other Special Issues from MDPI journals regarding the chemistry and properties of bee products, demonstrating that bioactive compounds from honeybee products create a powerful natural defense system against human and animal pathogens, and these natural alternatives are extremely valuable in modern medicine.

Having this in mind, this Special Issue of Antibiotics is waiting submissions of reviews, research papers, and short communications that can improve the existing knowledge about composition and activities of these natural products, with high bioactive properties, fewer side effects, and no resistance developed compared to synthetic antibiotics.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the antibacterial activity, antimycotic activity, antibiofilm activity, and antiviral activity of honeybee products.

Dr. Otilia Bobis
Dr. Adriana Cristina Urcan
Dr. Claudia Pașca
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antibiotics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bee products
  • antibiotics
  • antimicrobial activity
  • bioactive compounds
  • honey
  • propolis
  • bee pollen/beebread
  • royal jelly
  • bee venom
  • microbial resistance

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

27 pages, 3028 KiB  
Article
Integrated Assessment of Antibacterial Activity, Polyphenol Composition, Molecular Docking, and ADME Properties of Romanian Oak and Fir Honeydew Honeys
by Calin Hulea, Diana Obistioiu, Anca Hulea, Mukhtar Adeiza Suleiman, Doris Floares (Oarga), Ersilia Alexa, Ilinca Merima Imbrea, Alina-Georgeta Neacșu, Marius Pentea, Cosmin Alin Popescu and Florin Imbrea
Antibiotics 2025, 14(6), 592; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14060592 - 8 Jun 2025
Viewed by 549
Abstract
Background: This study evaluated the polyphenolic composition, antibacterial activity, molecular docking interactions, and pharmacokinetic properties of Romanian oak and fir honeydew honeys. Methods: Spectrophotometric methods quantified total phenolic, flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity, and individual polyphenols were identified via HPLC-MS. Antibacterial efficacy against [...] Read more.
Background: This study evaluated the polyphenolic composition, antibacterial activity, molecular docking interactions, and pharmacokinetic properties of Romanian oak and fir honeydew honeys. Methods: Spectrophotometric methods quantified total phenolic, flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity, and individual polyphenols were identified via HPLC-MS. Antibacterial efficacy against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was evaluated by determining the bacterial inhibition percentage and minimum inhibitory concentrations. The bioactive compounds identified via LC-MS analysis were used to further delineate the possible antibacterial activities in silico. Molecular docking was carried out to predict the binding interactions and complex formation of the identified compounds against protein crystal structures of the bacteria used in this study. Additionally, the pharmacokinetic profile of compounds with high inhibitory potential was assessed via ADMET (absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, toxicity) predictors to ascertain their value. Results: Fir honeydew honey showed higher total phenolic (844.5 mg GAE/kg) and flavonoid contents (489.01 mg QUE/kg) compared to oak honeydew honey, correlating with more potent antioxidant activity (IC50 = 5.16 mg/mL). In vitro antimicrobial tests indicated a stronger inhibitory effect of fir honeydew honey, especially against Gram-positive strains like S. aureus, S. pyogenes, and L. monocytogenes, alongside certain Gram-negative strains such as E. coli and H. influenzae. Oak honeydew honey displayed selective antimicrobial action, particularly against P. aeruginosa and S. typhimurium. The docking outcomes showed rutin, rosmarinic acid, beta resorcylic acid, quercetin, ferulic acid, and p-coumaric acid have high inhibitory activities characterised by binding affinities and binding interactions against shiga toxin, riboflavin synthase, ATP-binding sugar transporter-like protein, undecaprenyl diphosphate synthase, putative lipoprotein, sortase A, and immunity protein, making them key contributors to the honey’s antimicrobial activity. Moreover, beta-resorcylic acid, quercetin, ferulic acid, and p-coumaric acid revealed interesting ADMET scores that qualify honey to serve as a good antimicrobial agent. Conclusions: These findings support their potential use as natural antibacterial agents and emphasise the value of integrating chemical, biological, and computational approaches for multidisciplinary characterisations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial Activities of Bioactive Components from Honeybee Products)
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