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Bee Product Chemistry: Identification and Characterization of Natural Compounds, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 1652

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Simona Sagona

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Interests: honeybees; bee products; diet; biochemistry; proteomic; enzymes; immune system; animals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over recent decades, there has been growing consumer interest in natural products, with a particular focus on their nutritional composition and use as drug substitutes.

Bee products have been used since time immemorial as nutritious foods and food supplements, but also as cosmetics and for human healthcare. Honey, royal jelly, bee pollen, venom, propolis, wax, and bee larvae are all bee products, some used as food and others in non-traditional medicine. A large aspect of the health-promoting properties of bee products is the presence of biologically active compounds. The determination of their content, biological availability, and physiological impact is very important. The development of more robust, efficient, and sensitive analytical methodologies to guarantee the quality and safety of bee products is continually required.

This Special Issue will cover a wide range of topics related to the analysis of the nutritional properties of bee products, including their toxicology, pharmaceutical properties, contaminants, chemical compositions, inorganic compounds, nutraceutical compounds, antioxidant compounds, enzymes, peptides, macromolecules, etc. This Special Issue also includes recent developments and applications of modern instrumental analytical techniques with which to detect compounds. Research articles and reviews on various aspects of bee products are invited for submission.

Dr. Simona Sagona
Guest Editor

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. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

  • honey
  • wax
  • bee pollen
  • venom
  • propolis
  • royal jelly
  • bee larvae

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1229 KB  
Article
Pro-Apoptotic and Cytotoxic Effects of Melittin on HL-60 Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Cells: Implications for Retinoid-Independent Therapy
by Maksymilian Stela, Michał Ceremuga, Natalia Cichon, Tomasz Poplawski, Marcin Podogrocki, Leslaw Gorniak and Michał Bijak
Molecules 2025, 30(20), 4093; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30204093 - 15 Oct 2025
Viewed by 472
Abstract
Background: Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia driven by the PML/RARα fusion protein. Standard treatment with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) combined with chemotherapy is effective, but resistance and adverse effects remain significant challenges. Melittin, the primary peptide component [...] Read more.
Background: Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia driven by the PML/RARα fusion protein. Standard treatment with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) combined with chemotherapy is effective, but resistance and adverse effects remain significant challenges. Melittin, the primary peptide component of bee venom, has demonstrated potent anticancer activity across multiple leukemia subtypes through mitochondrial-dependent mechanisms. Building upon this established evidence, we investigated melittin’s therapeutic potential in APL to address the specific clinical challenge of ATRA resistance. Methods: The cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effects of melittin were studied on the human APL cell line HL-60. Cell viability was assessed using MTT and trypan blue assays. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was measured with JC-1 staining. Apoptosis was quantified using Annexin V/propidium iodide flow cytometry, caspase-3/7 activity assays, and real-time PCR analysis of apoptosis-related genes (BCL-2, BAX, APAF-1, CASP-3, CASP-8, CASP-9). Results: Melittin reduced HL-60 cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner, with significant decreases after 24 and 48 h. MMP analysis revealed mitochondrial depolarization, and Annexin V staining confirmed the induction of apoptosis. Caspase-3/7 activity increased markedly, supporting activation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. Gene expression profiling revealed downregulation of the anti-apoptotic BCL-2 and upregulation of the pro-apoptotic BAX, APAF1, and CASP3. At the same time, CASP8 and CASP9 showed no significant changes, suggesting a predominant involvement of the intrinsic pathway. Conclusions: These findings confirm and extend established evidence by demonstrating that melittin’s mitochondrial apoptotic mechanism is consistently active in promyelocytic HL-60 model (PML/RARα-negative). This retinoid-independent mechanism suggests potential therapeutic utility for ATRA-resistant cases or as a complementary strategy in APL treatment. However, selectivity validation in non-cancerous hematopoietic cells represents an important future research priority. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bee Product Chemistry: Identification and Characterization of Natural Compounds, 2nd Edition)
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15 pages, 2055 KB  
Article
Natural Biological Properties Inherited from Native Endemic Flora in Honeys from Lake Ranco Area of Southern Chile: A Botanical and Physicochemical Approach
by Enrique Mejías, Carlos Gómez, Pablo Díaz and Tatiana Garrido
Molecules 2025, 30(19), 3984; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30193984 - 4 Oct 2025
Viewed by 813
Abstract
Chile boasts a rich variety of native endemic melliferous flora, recognized internationally for the excellent taste and biological properties of its honeys. While honey production occurs across various regions, the southern zone, particularly near native rainforests, yields highly valued honeys that often lack [...] Read more.
Chile boasts a rich variety of native endemic melliferous flora, recognized internationally for the excellent taste and biological properties of its honeys. While honey production occurs across various regions, the southern zone, particularly near native rainforests, yields highly valued honeys that often lack comprehensive analytical characterization. This study was focused on seven apiaries near Lake Ranco in the Los Rios Region, collecting two honey samples from each location over two consecutive harvesting seasons, totaling 20 samples. Key parameters analyzed included botanical origin, total carbohydrates, glucose/fructose ratio, total phenolic compounds, antioxidant/antiradical activity and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content. The results indicated a significant influence of three native species, Eucryphia cordifolia, Caldcluvia paniculata, and Weinmannia trichosperma, on the antioxidant activity of the honeys. The physicochemical parameters measured, along with the concentration and activity of the compounds responsible for this activity, establish a very characteristic pattern for the monofloral honeys of these three species. This information could serve as a foundation for constructing a map to help differentiate Chilean honeys based on their natural biological attributes helpful for consumer health, generating distinctive profiles that would contribute to accurately guaranteeing their geographical origin and, consequently, increase their specific value. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bee Product Chemistry: Identification and Characterization of Natural Compounds, 2nd Edition)
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