Chemical Profile and Biological Potential of Scaptotrigona Bee Products (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini): An Review.

Stingless bees belong to the Meliponini tribe and are widely distributed in the tropics and subtropics, where they perform important ecological services. Among the best distributed groups of stingless bees is the genus Scaptotrigona, which includes 22 species distributed throughout the neotropical region, including the area from Mexico to Argentina. Bees of this genus are responsible for the production of products such as honey, propolis, geopropolis and fermented pollen ("saburá"). This review aimed to provide an overview of the chemical composition and biological activities associated with derived products from stingless bees of the genus Scaptotrigona. The bibliographic review was carried out through searches in the Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect and PubMed databases, including publications from 2003 to January 2023. The study of the chemodiversity of products derived from Scaptotrigona demonstrated the mainly presence of flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenoids and alkaloids. It was also demonstrated that products derived from bees of the genus Scaptotrigona exhibit a wide range of biological effects, such as antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antifungal activities, among other bioactivities. This review provides an overview of phytochemical and pharmacological investigations of the genus Scaptotrigona. However, it is essential to clarify the toxicity and food safety of these products.

Antibacterial and Toxic Activity of Geopropolis Extracts from Melipona subnitida (Ducke, 1910) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) and Scaptotrigona depilis (Moure, 1942) (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

Bacteria are associated with many infections that affect humans and present antibiotic resistance mechanisms, causing problems in health organisations and increased mortality rates. Therefore, it is necessary to find new antibacterial agents that can be used in the treatment of these microorganisms. Geopropolis is a natural product from stingless bees, formed by a mixture of plant resins, salivary secretions, wax and soil particles, the chemical composition of this natural product is diverse. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate antibacterial activity, antibiotic modulation and the toxicity of geopropolis extracts from the stingless bees, Melipona subnitida (Ducke, 1910) and Scaptotrigona depilis (Moure, 1942) against standard and multi-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. Geopropolis samples were collected in a meliponary located in Camaragibe, Pernambuco, Brazil. To determine the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and antibiotic modulation we performed broth microdilution tests. Mortality tests were used to verify extract toxicity in the model Drosophila melanogaster. The microbiological tests showing that the M. subnitida extracts had better inhibitory effects compared to S. depilis, presenting direct antibacterial activity against standard and multi-resistant strains. The extracts potentialized antibiotic effects, suggesting possible synergy and did not present toxicity in the model used. The information obtained in this study highlights extracts as promising antibacterial agents and is the first study to evaluate bacterial activity in these extracts, in addition to verifying their modulating effects and determining toxicity in the model used.