Natural extracts as potential control agents for Nosema ceranae infection in honeybees, Apis mellifera

Chaimanee, Veeranan; Kasem, Aticha; Nuanjohn, Tananya; Boonmee, Thummanoon; Siangsuepchart, Apiradee; Malaithong, Worasin; Sinpoo, Chainarong; Disayathanoowat, Terd; Pettis, Jeffery S.

doi:10.1016/j.jip.2021.107688

Cited by 23 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 63 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Otherwise, the mortality of the honeybees would have increased significantly. In contrast to porphyrins, some natural extracts, organic acids, and bacteriocins exhibited high toxicity and were associated with increased mortality rates in laboratory cage tests 59 , 60 . A growing body of research suggests that various substances, including fungicides, can cause subtle yet significant harm to bees 61 – 63 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Effect of amide protoporphyrin derivatives on immune response in Apis mellifera

Trytek

Buczek

Zdybicka-Barabas

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The intracellular microsporidian parasite Nosema ceranae is known to compromise bee health by induction of energetic stress and downregulation of the immune system. Porphyrins are candidate therapeutic agents for controlling Nosema infection without adverse effects on honeybees. In the present work, the impact of two protoporphyrin IX derivatives, i.e. PP[Asp]2 and PP[Lys]2, on Apis mellifera humoral immune response has been investigated in laboratory conditions in non-infected and N. ceranae-infected honeybees. Fluorescence spectroscopy analysis of hemolymph showed for the first time that porphyrin molecules penetrate into the hemocoel of honeybees. Phenoloxidase (PO) activity and the expression of genes encoding antimicrobial peptides (AMPs: abaecin, defensin, and hymenoptaecin) were assessed. Porphyrins significantly increased the phenoloxidase activity in healthy honeybees but did not increase the expression of AMP genes. Compared with the control bees, the hemolymph of non-infected bees treated with porphyrins had an 11.3- and 6.1-fold higher level of PO activity after the 24- and 48-h porphyrin administration, respectively. Notably, there was a significant inverse correlation between the PO activity and the AMP gene expression level (r = − 0.61696, p = 0.0143). The PO activity profile in the infected bees was completely opposite to that in the healthy bees (r = − 0.5118, p = 0.000), which was related to the changing load of N. ceranae spores in the porphyrin treated-bees. On day 12 post-infection, the spore loads in the infected porphyrin-fed individuals significantly decreased by 74%, compared with the control bees. Our findings show involvement of the honeybee immune system in the porphyrin-based control of Nosema infection. This allows the infected bees to improve their lifespan considerably by choosing an optimal PO activity/AMP expression variant to cope with the varying level of N. ceranae infection.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Effect of amide protoporphyrin derivatives on immune response in Apis mellifera

Trytek

Buczek

Zdybicka-Barabas

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As for the use of extracts obtained from different plant sources, many studies have been carried out with highly promising results, which are sometimes comparable to those obtained with fumagillin. Chaimanee et al [ 96 ] demonstrated that plant extracts made from Annona squamosa , Ocimum basilicum , Psidium guajava and Syzygium jambos possess a strong anti-microsporidian activity and inhibit the development of N. ceranae spores, with similar efficacy to fumagillin. In another recent study conducted by Özkırım et al [ 97 ], the results showed that a mix of herbal extract mixture containing Rumex acetosella , Achillea millefolium , Plantago lanceolata , Salvia officinalis , Thymus vulgaris , Rosmarinus officinalis and Laurus nobilis was more effective than fumagillin.…”

Section: Plant Extractsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In some studies, the anti-microsporidian activity is related to specific compounds (e.g., phenolic compounds, terpenes, aromatic organic chemical compounds, polysaccharides) contained in the vegetal extracts used [ 91 , 96 , 110 , 111 ].…”

Section: Plant Extractsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Recent Advances in the Biocontrol of Nosemosis in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.)

Iorizzo

Letizia

Ganassi

et al. 2022

JoF

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Nosemosis is a disease triggered by the single-celled spore-forming fungi Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae, which can cause extensive colony losses in honey bees (Apis mellifera L). Fumagillin is an effective antibiotic treatment to control nosemosis, but due to its toxicity, it is currently banned in many countries. Accordingly, in the beekeeping sector, there is a strong demand for alternative ecological methods that can be used for the prevention and therapeutic control of nosemosis in honey bee colonies. Numerous studies have shown that plant extracts, RNA interference (RNAi) and beneficial microbes could provide viable non-antibiotic alternatives. In this article, recent scientific advances in the biocontrol of nosemosis are summarized.

show abstract

“…The only registered product for nosemosis is the antibiotic fumagillin; however, in the European Union, there is no formulation registered for use in beekeeping [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. The tendency to reduce the use of antibiotics in beekeeping has led to the continual search for natural alternatives in the treatment of diseases such as nosemosis, reviewed in [ 11 ] including dietary supplements [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of Thymol in Nosema ceranae Control and Health Improvement of Infected Honey Bees

Glavinić

Blagojević

Ristanić

et al. 2022

Insects

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Nosema ceranae is the most widespread microsporidian species which infects the honey bees of Apis mellifera by causing the weakening of their colonies and a decline in their productive and reproductive capacities. The only registered product for its control is the antibiotic fumagillin; however, in the European Union, there is no formulation registered for use in beekeeping. Thymol (3-hydroxy-p-cymene) is a natural essential-oil ingredient derived from Thymus vulgaris, which has been used in Varroa control for decades. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of thymol supplementation on the expression of immune-related genes and the parameters of oxidative stress and bee survival, as well as spore loads in bees infected with the microsporidian parasite N. ceranae. The results reveal mostly positive effects of thymol on health (increasing levels of immune-related genes and values of oxidative stress parameters, and decreasing Nosema spore loads) when applied to Nosema-infected bees. Moreover, supplementation with thymol did not induce negative effects in Nosema-infected bees. However, our results indicate that in Nosema-free bees, thymol itself could cause certain disorders (affecting bee survival, decreasing oxidative capacity, and downregulation of some immune-related gene expressions), showing that one should be careful with preventive, uncontrolled, and excessive use of thymol. Thus, further research is needed to reveal the effect of this phytogenic supplement on the immunity of uninfected bees.

show abstract

Natural extracts as potential control agents for Nosema ceranae infection in honeybees, Apis mellifera

Cited by 23 publications

References 63 publications

Effect of amide protoporphyrin derivatives on immune response in Apis mellifera

Effect of amide protoporphyrin derivatives on immune response in Apis mellifera

Recent Advances in the Biocontrol of Nosemosis in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.)

Use of Thymol in Nosema ceranae Control and Health Improvement of Infected Honey Bees

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About