Evaluation of total phenols content, anti-DPPH activity and the content of selected antioxidants in the honeybee drone brood homogenate.

The subject of the present research is the evaluation of health-promoting properties caused by the presence of some vitamins as well as the antioxidative potential of the honeybee drone brood homogenate (DBH). The study used 139 homogenate samples obtained from various apiaries and collected over 3 years, three times during each beekeeping season. Samples differed in terms of varroa infestation, stage of brood development, location of the apiary, and the degree of environmental contamination. The content of ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol, all-trans-retinol, and coenzyme Q10 in the tested samples was determined through the application of HPLC/DAD/UV and LC/QQQ/MS methods. The antioxidant potential of samples was assessed using the Folin-Ciocalteu and DPPH methods.

Occurrence, removal, and environmental risk of phthalates in wastewaters, landfill leachates, and groundwater in Poland.

Phthalates or phthalic acid esters (PAEs) are chemical compounds whose use is exceptionally widespread in everyday materials but, at the same time, have been proven to have harmful effects on living organisms. Effluents from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and leachates from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills are important sources of phthalates with respect to naturally occurring waters. The main aim of this research was determination, mass loads, removal rates and ecological risk assessment of eight phthalates in municipal wastewaters, landfill leachates and groundwater from Polish WWTPs and MSW landfills. Solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry were used for the extraction and determination of analytes. Summed up concentrations of eight phthalates ranged from below LOD to 596 µg/L in influent wastewater with the highest concentration found for bis-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) (143 µg/L). The average degree of phthalate removal varies depending on the capacity of a given treatment plant with larger treatment plants coping better than smaller ones. The highest treatment efficiency for all tested treatment plants, over 90%, was reported for dimethyl phthalate (DMP) and diethyl phthalate (DEP). Overall concentrations of phthalates in leachates ranged from below LOD to 303 µg/L while the highest maximum concentration was registered for DEHP (249 µg/L). Overall concentrations of phthalic acid esters in groundwater from upstream monitoring wells ranged from below LOD to 1.8 µg/L and from LOD to 27.9 µg/L in samples from wells downstream of MSW landfills. The obtained data shows that diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), DEHP, and diisononyl phthalate (DINP) pose a high risk for all trophic levels being considered in effluent wastewaters. In the case of groundwater high environmental risk was recorded for DBP and DEHP for all tested trophic levels. Phthalates, in concentrations that pose a high environmental risk, are present in Polish municipal after-treatment wastewater as well as in groundwater under municipal solid waste landfills.

What do we need to know about drone brood homogenate and what is known.

ETNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: In Polish folk customs, bees are surrounded by the nimbus of holiness, which is reflected in a series of proverbs and phrases in colloquial speech (Markiewicowa, 1992). It was believed that products derived from the beehive, resulting from the effort of insects are endowed with special healing and nutritive properties. As such, bee products have been used in natural medicine for centuries (Markiewicowa, 1992). Nowadays, these properties have been confirmed by systematic scientific assessment. The largest number of scientific reports are focused on the nutritive properties and therapeutic action of propolis, royal jelly, honey, bee venom and pollen. Less information can be found about another product of beekeeping which is drone brood. Drones are responsible for the fertilization of a queen bee, thereby prolonging bee species. In addition to reproduction, they do not perform any others important functions in the bee community, except draining food resources collected by worker bees. For this reason, the excess of the drone brood is removed from the hive by the beekeepers. Before the winter bees themselves banish the adult drones from the hive. The removal of drone brood has a function in the prevention and treatment of varroosis, bee parasitic disease caused by the Varroa destructor mites. Beekeepers and scientists have noticed that this parasite accumulates in wax cells in which young drones develop. AIM OF THE STUDY: The purpose of this work was to assess the current state of knowledge on the nutritional and biological properties of the drone homogenate (DBH). Information about biological or pharmacological effects of DBH are limited and research results are published in very local scientific journals. The authors tried to gather available information of the chemical composition, methods of storing and preserving the brood, as well as on biological activity and application in nutrition and medicine. The collected facts prove that this product is wrongly regarded by majority of Western beekeepers as waste. Studies carried out on animal models show that the homogenate exhibits androgenic effect and led to improve animals productive capacity. DBH is able to stimulate the immune system (stimulating the production of antibodies by the spleen and the immune response of T lymphocytes) as well as reduction the parameters of oxidative stress and the risk of death due to cardiovascular episode (Bogdanov, 2012). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In searching for information on drone brood, generally available publishing databases such as Scopus, Google scholar, and PubMed were used. Search words were: "drone homogenate", drone brood", "bee brood", "drone larvae", "drone milk". Due to the number of publications available in English, information on the drone homogenate was also searched in Russian. Patent studies of agents containing drone homogenate were searched at http://patents.google.com. RESULTS: This work gathers information on the chemical composition, methods of storage and preservation as well as the action of the biological drone homogenate. In addition, information on the effect of the drone homogenate on animal organisms and the use of homogenate in various disease entities in humans has been provided. Manuscript also contains information on the use of the drone homogenate as a dietary and food supplement. The critical discussion on available results was provided. CONCLUSIONS: This paper presents the most important information on the use of drone brood in folk medicine. The studies carried out with the use of animals and humans have shown that the drone brood has an adjuvant effect that improves the efficiency of the organism. Due to its high content of amino acids and proteins, it is used as a tonic and adaptogenic agent. The presence of sex hormones in the homogenate allows its use as a potency raising agent and equalizing the hormonal system in people of both sexes. Based on the facts quoted above, it can be concluded that DBH is a promising nutritional product, an unjustly neglected source of valuable substances not only such as proteins, fatty acids but also vitamins, hormones and antioxidants.

Novel Gel Formulations as Topical Carriers for the Essential Oil of Bidens tripartita for the Treatment of Candidiasis.

The genus Bidens L. (Asteraceae) refers to several species of plants used in traditional phytotherapeutic preparations. B. tripartita, also known as bur marigold, is the most familiar plant and has been known as a remedy for chronic dysentery. The hydrodistilled essential oil of the aerial parts of the Polish B. tripartita was analyzed using gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques. To exclude any potential toxic effects of the oil on human dermal fibroblasts, the MTT test (methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium) and COMET assay (single-cell gel electrophoresis) were performed. Novel gel formulations as topical carriers for essential oil obtained from B. tripartita were developed and characterized. The bioadhesive properties of the designed preparations in the ex vivo model using the skin of hairless mice were also evaluated. The therapeutic efficacy of the topical formulations is influenced by active phytoconstituents and vehicle characteristics. The antifungal properties of the essential oil of B. tripartita were also tested against Candida species, and this oil appears to be a promising topical anticandidal agent.