Bee Products: The Recent Progress in Health Benefits Studies
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2026 | Viewed by 45
Special Issue Editors
Interests: oxidative stress-induced diseases; natural products; chemoprevention and tumor therapy; bee products and health; radioprotection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
2. School of Medicine, Catholic University of Croatia, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: neuroprotection; neurotoxicity; neurodegenerative diseases; oxidative stress; polyphenols; neuropharmacology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Health is defined not merely as the absence of disease but as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. In the developed world, health problems are on the rise, often driven by poor lifestyle habits such as unhealthy diets, environmental pollution, and chronic stress. These factors can lead to a condition in which harmful free radicals exceed the level of antioxidants, resulting in oxidative stress, weakening of the immune system, disrupting homeostasis, and altering cellular signalling pathways—all of which contribute to the onset of various diseases. Excessive levels of free radicals damage cellular structures, cause DNA mutations, and may ultimately lead to cell death. The consequences of these harmful effects manifest as premature aging and an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, neurodegenerative disorders, and many other chronic conditions.
Bee products and their bioactive components, particularly flavonoids, are powerful antioxidants and functional foods. Beyond their nutritional value, they provide health benefits by helping to prevent the onset and progression of chronic diseases. Honeybee products—including honey, propolis, beeswax, royal jelly, bee pollen, bee bread, and bee venom—are important natural sources of proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, probiotics, organic acids, and monounsaturated fatty acids. Flavonoids from bee products strengthen the immune system, prevent diseases, and maintain health. They support homeostasis, balance the levels of biologically active components in the body, support intestinal microflora, and regulate free radical levels.
The therapeutic use of bee products, known as apitherapy, has a long tradition. Apitherapy can be applied in the treatment of chronic metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases, infections, tumors, reproductive disorders, allergies and autoimmune diseases, as well as in wound healing, pain relief, and burn treatment. Today, apitherapy has gained significant scientific attention, particularly with the development of innovative delivery approaches such as nanoparticles, scaffolds, and nanofibers, which increase the bioavailability and therapeutic potential of bee products. Moreover, the combined use of bee products with conventional drugs has shown promise in improving efficacy, reducing drug doses, and minimizing drug-related side effects.
In this Special Issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences, we invite authors to submit manuscripts related to these topics. We welcome submissions of original research articles, reviews of the current scientific literature (including systematic reviews and meta-analyses), and short reports. This Special Issue, “Bee Products: The Recent Progress in Health Benefits Studies”, aims to highlight the latest advances in the pre-clinical and clinical applications of nutraceutical and pharmaceutical properties of bee products and their flavonoids. We encourage contributions focusing on novel nanoformulations that enhance the efficiency, safety, quality and therapeutic potential of bee products and their flavonoids in promoting health and preventing disease.
Prof. Dr. Nada Orsolic
Dr. Maja Jazvinšćak Jembrek
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- honeybee products
- flavonoids
- bioactive compounds
- biological activity
- pharmacological activity
- health benefits
- side effects
- disease prevention
- antioxidant activity
- apitherapy
- nutritional properties
- innovative technical approaches
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