Are by-products from beeswax recycling process a new promising source of bioactive compounds with biomedical properties?

Beeswax by-Products Efficiently Counteract the Oxidative Damage Induced by an Oxidant Agent in Human Dermal Fibroblasts

“…According to our recently published results that showed that MUD1 contains high content in fiber, protein, carbohydrate, polyphenol and flavonoid, and presents antioxidant properties [ 2 ], we decided to test the efficacy of MUD1 against AAPH-induced stress in HDF cells. The measurement of intracellular ROS production represents a very useful tool for the evaluation of oxidative stress promoted by AAPH [ 11 , 12 ].…”

“…Some examples are represented by collagen derived from fish (e.g., skin, bones, and fins), seaweed or plants [ 1 ]. In this context, the products derived from honey production such as beeswax, propolis, pollen, venom and royal jelly are attracting attention of the scientific community, due to their interesting nutritional composition [ 2 , 3 ], which could have a potential impact on biomedicine. In particular, beeswax and its derivatives have been recognized for their antibacterial properties and traditionally used for the treatment of wounds, burns, psoriasis, and topic dermatitis [ 4 ].…”

“…In addition, a recent study from our group highlighted the proximal, nutritional, and phenolic content as well as the antioxidant capacity of two beeswax recycling by-products (MUD1 and MUD2). We also demonstrated their anticarcinogenic effects in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells [ 2 ]. Both derivatives—although to a greater extent MUD1—induced cytotoxic effects in this cell line by reducing cell viability, increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and deteriorating mitochondrial functionality, thanks to the phytochemical contents [ 2 ].…”

“…Oxidative stress represents the main cause of most common chronic diseases including inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cancer [ 6 ]; in recent years, numerous studies have demonstrated that dietary antioxidants from plant foods represent an efficient strategy to counteract this condition, and can be considered a useful tool for the maintenance of human health status and well-being conditions [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. On the experience of our previous reports [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ] and the antioxidant potential of MUD1 (it presents 1435.66 ± 71.78 mg/100 g and 295.84 ± 14.80 mg/100 g of Total phenolic content and total flavonoids content, respectively) [ 2 ], in the present study we evaluated the efficacy of beeswax by-products, MUD1, as a potential therapeutic agent against oxidative damage induced by 2,2′-aszobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH) in Human Dermal Fibroblasts (HDF). HDF are considered an excellent model system to study several aspects of cell physiology, and are widely used to evaluate the in vitro effect of substances of interest in the prevention of oxidative damage caused by different agents [ 8 , 11 ].…”

Identification of beeswax and its falsification by the method of infrared spectroscopy

“…Bee wax is widely used in many branches of the national economy [1,2,29], as well as in metallurgical, electrical, chemical, pharmaceutical [3][4][5], food industry, in particular in the production of cheese and sweets, as well as the coverage of fruits and vegetables in order to increase their shelf life [6,30]. However, most of the wax is returned to beekeeping for the industrial production of wax.…”