Bee pollen is a hive product made up of flower pollen grains, nectar, and bee salivary secretions that beekeepers can collect without damaging the hive. Bee pollen, also called bee-collected pollen, contains a wide range of nutritious elements, including proteins, carbs, lipids, and dietary fibers, as well as bioactive micronutrients including vitamins, minerals, phenolic, and volatile compounds. Because of this composition of high quality, this product has been gaining prominence as a functional food, and studies have been conducted to show and establish its therapeutic potential for medical and food applications. In this context, this work aimed to provide a meticulous summary of the most relevant data about bee pollen, its composition—especially the phenolic compounds—and its biological and/or therapeutic properties as well as the involved molecular pathways.

The biological activities of propolis samples are the result of many bioactive compounds present in the propolis. The aim of the present study was to determine the various chemical compounds of some selected propolis samples collected from Palestine and Morocco by the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography–Photodiode Array Detection (HPLC-PDA) method, as well as the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of this bee product. The chemical analysis of propolis samples by HPLC-PDA shows the cinnamic acid content in the Palestinian sample is higher compared to that in Moroccan propolis. The results of antioxidant activity demonstrated an important free radical scavenging activity (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH); 2,2′-azino-bis 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) and reducing power assays) with EC₅₀ values ranging between 0.02 ± 0.001 and 0.14 ± 0.01 mg/mL. Additionally, all tested propolis samples possessed a moderate antibacterial activity against bacterial strains. Notably, Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) values ranged from 0.31 to 2.50 mg/mL for Gram-negative bacterial strains and from 0.09 to 0.125 mg/mL for Gram-positive bacterial strains. The S2 sample from Morocco and the S4 sample from Palestine had the highest content of polyphenol level. Thus, the strong antioxidant and antibacterial properties were apparently due to the high total phenolic and flavone/flavonol contents in the samples. As a conclusion, the activities of propolis samples collected from both countries are similar, while the cinnamic acid in the Palestinian samples was more than that of the Moroccan samples.

Solanum elaeagnifolium is among the invasive plants of Morocco; studies on its chemical composition and biological activities are few in number in Morocco. S. elaeagnifolium has shown molluscicidal and nematicidal and cancer-inhibitory effects, anti-inflammatory, analgesic activity, and antibacterial activity. The objective of this research is to improve this plant and assess its antibacterial and antioxidant properties as well as its total polyphenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC). The Folin-Ciocalteu method and the aluminium-trichloride method were used to determine TPC and TFC in hydro-ethanolic (HEE) and hydro-acetonic (HAE) leaf extract. Three assays were performed to determine the antioxidant activity: the DPPH test (radical 2,2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), the FRAP test (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power), and the TAC test. Disk diffusion and microdilution were used to test antibacterial activity against four pathogenic bacteria and Candida albicans. The hydro-ethanolic extract 2.54 ± 0.4 mg EAG/g has a greater polyphenol concentration than the hydro-acetonic extract 1.58 ± 0.03 mg EAG/g. Although the flavonoid content of the hydro-acetonic extract (0.067 ± 0.001 mg EQ/g) is larger than that of the hydro-ethanolic extract (0.012 ± 0.001 mg EQ/g), the flavonoid content of the hydro-ethanolic extract (0.012 ± 0.001 mg EQ/g). The DPPH values were IC-50 = 0.081 ± 0.004 mg/mL for hydro-ethanoic extract and 0.198 ± 0.019 mg/mL for hydro-acetonic extract, both extracts superior to BHT (0.122 ± 0.021 g/mL). While the FRAP assay showed a low iron-reducing power values for both extracts compared to BHT), the overall antioxidant activity of the two extracts was found to be considerable. The overall antioxidant activity of the hydro-ethanolic extract was 8.95 ± 0.42 mg EAA/g, whereas the total antioxidant activity of the hydro-acetonic extract was 6.44 ± 0.61 mg EAA/g. In comparison with the antibiotic Erythromycin, HAE and HEE from S. elaeagnifolium leaves demonstrated significant antibacterial action. HAE had the best inhibitory efficacy against Bacillus subtilis DSM 6333, with an inhibition diameter of 10.5 ± 0.50 mm and a MIC of 7.5 ± 0.00 mg/mL, as well as against Proteus mirabilis ATCC 29906, with an inhibitory diameter of 8.25 ± 0.75 mm and a MIC of 15 ± 0.00 mg/mL.

In the present investigation, the phenolic compounds of Solanum elaeagnifolium were identified, and the plant’s anti-lipase and anti-glycation effects on hemoglobin were discovered through in vitro experiments, as well as its short-term antihyperglycemic and anti-inflammatory effects. The chemical compound composition was detected using HPLC-DAD, the anti-lipase activity was tested in vitro using 4-nitrophenyl butyrate as a substrate, and the antiglycation activity of the plant extracts was also tested in vitro using a haemoglobin model. The antihyperglycemic effect was determined by inhibiting pancreatic α-amylase and α-glycosidase activity and performing an in vivo glucose tolerance test on normal rats, and the anti-inflammatory activity was determined by inducing paw inflammation with carrageenan. In both the SEFR (fruit) and SEFE (leaf) extracts, chromatographic analysis revealed the presence of quercetin 3-O-β-D-glucoside, rutin, and quercetin. SEFR inhibited the pancreatic lipase enzyme more effectively, with an IC₅₀ of 0.106 ± 0.00 mg/mL. S. elaeagnifolium extracts demonstrated significant antiglycation activity, with 3.990 ± 0.23 mg/mL of SEFE and 3.997 ± 0.14 mg/mL of SEFR. When compared to positive and negative controls, plant extracts had very significant anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory effects. The findings in this study and previous research on this plant encourage us to investigate other pharmacological activities of this plant besides its duiretic, cictrisant, and anti-ulcer activity.

The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria has prompted the development of alternative therapies, including the use of natural products with antibacterial properties. The antibacterial properties of Zantaz honey produced in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus was evaluated and analyzed using chemometric tools. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) against S. aureus were the lowest (112.5 ± 54.5 mg/mL), revealing that this species was most sensitive to Zantaz honey. P. aeruginosa showed an intermediate sensitivity (MIC= 118.75 ± 51.9 mg/mL), while E. coli was the most resistant to treatment (MIC = 175 ± 61.2 mg/mL). Content of monosaccharides, certain minerals, and phenolic compounds correlated with antibacterial activity (p < 0.05). Principal component analysis of physicochemical characteristics and antibacterial activity indicated that the parameters most associated with antibacterial activity were color, acidity, and content of melanoidins, fructose, epicatechin, methyl syringate, 4-coumaric acid, and 3-coumaric acid.

Honey from citrus limon is of interest for wound healing due to its antimicrobial, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties . This in vitro study investigates whether citrus lemon honey (CLH) can modulate key cellular and biochemical processes involved in wound healing, in comparison with Manuka honey. Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities were evaluated alongside keratinocyte (HaCaT) proliferation and migration assays. Physicochemical analysis showed high water-soluble protein content (480.9 ± 28.4 mg equivalent [Eq] bovine serum albumin/100 g), acidic pH (3.4 ± 0.02), low moisture (19.5%), and moderate electrical conductivity (41.6 ± 2.61 μS/cm). In addition, CLH exhibited notable phenolic (313.6 ± 0.6 mg Eq gallic acid/100 g) and flavonoid contents (6.9 ± 2.6 mg Eq quercetin/100 g), accompanied by strong antioxidant activity (total antioxidant capacity: 3.5 ± 0.05 g Eq ascorbic acid/100 g). CLH demonstrated antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (minimum inhibitory concentrations of 0.8–3.1 w/w%), including clinically relevant wound-associated pathogens, highlighting its potential to reduce microbial burden and prevent infection in wound environments. Furthermore, CLH modulated nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-activated THP-1 macrophages. Functionally, CLH promoted keratinocyte viability and migration in a concentration-dependent manner, with an approximately 20% increase in cell viability at 1–2 mg/mL and a 35% enhancement in migration, without cytotoxicity. These effects were comparable in trend, though less pronounced, to those observed with Manuka honey. Taken together, the combined antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and pro-regenerative effects suggest that CLH may support wound healing by enhancing tissue repair and limiting infection. From a host–microbe interaction perspective, the antibacterial and immunomodulatory effects of CLH suggest a coordinated role in wound healing, where reduced microbial burden and controlled regulation of inflammation may act synergistically to support tissue repair and restore skin integrity. However, further in vivo and clinical studies are required to confirm its therapeutic relevance.