Antimicrobial Activity and Protective Effect of Tuscan Bee Pollens on Oxidative and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Different Cell-Based Models

Bee pollen is an apiary product of great interest owing to its high nutritional and therapeutic properties. This study aimed to assess the cellular antioxidant activity and the antihemolytic effect of Castanea, Rubus, and Cistus bee pollens on human erythrocytes. We also tested the antimicrobial pot...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Foods 2021-06, Vol.10 (6), p.1422
Main Authors: Gabriele, Morena, Frassinetti, Stefania, Pucci, Laura
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
antihemolytic effect
Antiinfectives and antibacterials
Antimicrobial activity
Antimicrobial agents
antioxidant activity
Antioxidants
Bacteria
bee pollen
Bees
Biological effects
Blood & organ donations
Castanea
Cell culture
Cellular Antioxidant Activity in Red Blood Cells CAA-RBC
Cistus
E coli
Endoplasmic reticulum
Endothelial cells
Erythrocytes
Food science
Free radicals
Functional foods & nutraceuticals
Gene expression
Gram-positive bacteria
Homeostasis
Microorganisms
Microvasculature
Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC)
Overexpression
Oxidation
Oxidation process
Phytochemicals
Pollen
Polyphenols
Proteins
Rubus
Salmonella
Selectivity
Thapsigargin
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Summary:Bee pollen is an apiary product of great interest owing to its high nutritional and therapeutic properties. This study aimed to assess the cellular antioxidant activity and the antihemolytic effect of Castanea, Rubus, and Cistus bee pollens on human erythrocytes. We also tested the antimicrobial potential of each sample on selected Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Finally, the effect of Castanea bee pollen, showing the best phytochemical profile, was analyzed on human microvascular endothelial cells exposed to thapsigargin, used as endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stressor. Our results showed good biological activities of all bee pollen samples that, under oxidative conditions, significantly improved the erythrocytes’ antioxidant activity and limited cell lyses. Castanea and Cistus showed comparable antihemolytic activities, with higher % hemolysis inhibition than Rubus. All samples exerted antimicrobial activity with different selectivity among all the tested microorganisms with minimal inhibitory concentration values ranging from 5 to 10 mg/mL. Finally, Castanea bee pollen was effective in reducing gene over-expression and oxidation process arising from thapsigargin treatment, with a maximum protective effect at 10 µg/mL. In conclusion, bee pollen represents a potential natural antibacterial and a good nutraceutical product useful in the prevention of free radical and ER stress-associated diseases.
ISSN:2304-8158
2304-8158
DOI:10.3390/foods10061422