Protective Effect of Honey and Propolis against Gentamicin‐Induced Oxidative Stress and Hepatorenal Damages

Abstract

Bee products are a promising source of phenolic compounds with strong antioxidant activity. The present study was designed to explore the protective effect of honey, propolis, and their combination on gentamicin-induced oxidative stress and hepatorenal dysfunction. This study was conducted on male Wistar rats by intraperitoneal injections of gentamicin (120 mg/kg BW/day, i.p.) or normal saline (1 ml/kg BW/day, i.p.) for 10 consecutive days. Honey (2 g/kg BW), propolis (100 mg/kg BW), or their combination were given daily by gavage to normal and gentamicin groups. Honey and propolis samples were evaluated for their phytochemical composition and antioxidant capacity. The in vitro investigations showed that the evaluated samples especially propolis extract have high antioxidant power associated with the presence of several phenolic compounds such as flavonoids, flavan-3-ols, hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, and stilbenes, while honey contains only hydroxybenzoic acids and hydroxycinnamic acids. It was also shown that simultaneous treatment with honey or propolis extract alone or in association prevented changes caused by gentamicin administration and improved hepatic and renal functions. Changes caused by gentamicin administration, observed by in vivo experiments, include significant elevation of uric acid, urea, creatinine, and hepatic enzyme levels (ALT, AST, and ALP) and kidney biochemical changes (an increase of urea, uric acid, and creatinine and a decrease of albumin and total protein) as well as remarkable changes of renal and liver oxidative stress markers (CAT, GPx, and GSH) and elevation of MDA levels. Overall, it can be concluded that honey and propolis might be useful in the management of liver and renal diseases induced by xenobiotics.

Protective Effect of Liposomal Epigallocatechin-Gallate in Experimental Gentamicin-Induced Hepatotoxicity

“…Proteotoxicity results from an imbalance between misfolded protein accumulation due to translational errors and oxidative stress that exceed the ability of chaperones for protein refolding and repair [ 32 , 33 ]. Other nutraceuticals such as curcumin, cinnamic acid, honey, and propolis have been proven to significantly reduce gentamicin toxic effects [ 31 , 34 , 35 ]. All the beneficial effects demonstrated by the above-mentioned nutraceutical treatments have, as a pathophysiological loop, oxidative-nitrosative stress/antioxidant balance regulation [ 31 , 34 , 35 ].…”

“…Other nutraceuticals such as curcumin, cinnamic acid, honey, and propolis have been proven to significantly reduce gentamicin toxic effects [ 31 , 34 , 35 ]. All the beneficial effects demonstrated by the above-mentioned nutraceutical treatments have, as a pathophysiological loop, oxidative-nitrosative stress/antioxidant balance regulation [ 31 , 34 , 35 ]. Indeed, our study proved an improvement in nitrosative stress and antioxidant status after each of the treatments were administered which could explain the improvement of the hepatocyte stability using a similar mechanism.…”

The effect of propolis on 5-fluorouracil-induced cardiac toxicity in rats

“…In a study, the use of doxorubicin increased MDA production and peroxidative damage in treated rats, while concomitant use of propolis reduced MDA and peroxidative damage to rat mitochondria 56 . In another study on the effect of propolis in reducing oxidative stress induced by gentamicin, it was observed that the levels of hepatic and renal oxidative stress markers, such as CAT, and MDA, were signi cantly decreased and increased, respectively, when propolis was applied to the study samples 57 .…”

New Insights into Potential Beneficial Effects of Bioactive Compounds of Bee Products in Boosting Immunity to Fight COVID-19 Pandemic: Focus on Zinc and Polyphenols

“…Propolis is a sticky, lipophilic, resinous substance produced by a complex mixture of bee-released and plant-derived compounds. It is applied by honeybees as a hive defensive material against various infections; it is generally made up of around 50% resin, 30% waxes, 10% essential oils, 5% pollen, and 5% of various organic compounds [ 54 , 55 , 56 ]. The antiviral effect of propolis is well documented, it was reported that propolis samples from Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Italy, and China has promising antiviral efficacy against several viral infections such as herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2, poliovirus type 1 (PV1), poliovirus type 2 (PV), vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), adenovirus type 2 (Adeno-2), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), and influenza A virus H1N1.…”