Designing functional foods as delivery systemsmay become a tailored strategy to decrease the risk of noncommunicable diseases. Therefore, this work aims to optimise a combination of t-resveratrol (RES), chlorogenic acid (CHA), and quercetin (QUE) based on antioxidant assays and develop a functional tea formulation enriched with the optimal polyphenol combination (OPM). Experimental results showed that the antioxidant capacity of these compounds is assay- and compound-dependent. A mixture containing 73% RES and 27% QUE maximised the hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and FRAP. OPM upregulated the gene expressions of heme oxygenase-1, superoxide dismutase, and catalase and decreased the reactive oxygen species generation in L929 fibroblasts. Adding OPM (100 mg/L)to a chamomile tea increased FRAP:39%, DPPH:59%; total phenolic content: 57%, iron reducing capacity: 41%, human plasma protection against oxidation: 67%. However, pasteurisation (63 °C/30 min) decreased onlythe DPPH. Combining technology, engineering, and cell biology was effective for functional tea design.

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is one of the main active ingredients of propolis with good antitumor activities. However, the potential effects of CAPE on the glycolysis and lipid metabolism of tumor cells are unclear. Here, the anti-tumor effects of CAPE on MDA-MB-231 cells in an inflammatory microenvironment stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were studied by estimating the inflammatory mediators and the key factors of glycolysis and lipid metabolism. The CAPE treatment obviously inhibited proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis, and the mitochondrial membrane potential was decreased in the LPS-stimulated MDA-MB-231 cells. Compared with the LPS group, pro-inflammatory mediators, including toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), NF-kappa-B inhibitor alpha (IκBα), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6, as well as interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK4), declined after the CAPE treatment. Additionally, CAPE significantly down-regulated the levels of glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), glucose transporter 3 (GLUT3), and the key enzymes of glycolysis-hexokinase 2 (HK2), phosphofructokinase (PFK), pyruvate kinase muscle isozyme M2 (PKM2), and lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA). Moreover, CAPE treatment decreased the levels of key lipid metabolism proteins, including acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC), fatty acid synthase (FASN), and free fatty acid (FFA)-transported-related protein CD36. After adding the glycolysis inhibitor 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), the inhibitory effects of CAPE on cell viability and migration were not significant when compared with the LPS group. In summary, the antitumor activity of CAPE in vitro was mainly via the modulation of the inflammatory mediators and the inhibition of key proteins and enzymes in glucose and lipid metabolism.

Natural products serve as a valuable reservoir of anticancer agents. Chinese poplar propolis (CP) has exhibited remarkable antitumor activities, yet its precise mechanisms of action remain elusive. This study aims to elucidate the in vitro cytotoxic mechanisms of CP in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) through comprehensive transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. Our evidence suggested that CP possesses a great potential to inhibit the proliferation of HepG2 cells by targeting the glucose metabolism. Notably, CP exhibited a dose- and time-dependent reduction in the viability of HepG2 cells. Transcriptome sequencing unveiled significant alterations in the cellular metabolism, particularly within glucose metabolism pathways. CP effectively restrained glucose consumption and lactic acid production. Moreover, the CP treatment led to a substantial decrease in the mRNA expression levels of key glucose transporters (GLUT1 and GLUT3) and glycolytic enzymes (LDHA, HK2, PKM2, and PFK). Correspondingly, CP suppressed some key protein levels. Cellular metabolomic analysis demonstrated a marked reduction in intermediary products of glucose metabolism, specifically fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and acetyl-CoA, following CP administration. Finally, key compounds in CP were screened, and apigenin, pinobanksin, pinocembrin, and galangin were identified as potential active agents against glycolysis. It indicates that the effectiveness of propolis in inhibiting liver cancer is the result of the combined action of several components. These findings underscore the potential therapeutic value of propolis in the treatment of liver cancer by targeting glycolytic pathways.

Honeybee drone larvae are male bees that develop from unfertilized eggs and play a role in colony reproduction. The nutritional value of honeybee drone larvae is due to their high protein, lipid, and other nutrient contents, making them a profitable food source for humans in some cultures. Drone larvae lipids (DLLs) contribute to drone development; however, few studies have explored their substantial compositions and bioactive functions. In this study, we carried out DLL lipidomics analysis using UPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap–MS prior to in vitro anti-inflammatory activity analysis. The results highlighted the importance of the extraction temperature on the DLL composition. A total of 21 lipids were found in the DLL extract, mostly categorized into five groups: nine phospholipids, three sphingolipids, two neutral lipids, one plant glycoglycerolipid, four lipid acyl, and others. Drying extraction at −20 °C produced more sphingolipids, phospholipids, and unsaturated fatty acids. Of 37 fatty acids, 18 were displayed at −20 °C degrees, as shown by GC–MS quantitative analysis. Myristic (246.99 ± 13.19 μg/g), palmitic (1707.87 ± 60.53 μg/g), stearic (852.32 ± 24.17 μg/g), and oleic (2463.03 ± 149.61 μg/g) acids were the predominant fatty acids. Furthermore, we examined the significant in vitro anti-inflammatory effects of DLL (−20 °C) using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged RAW264.7 cells. Nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen (ROS) production and mRNA expression of IL-6, IL-10, COX-2, and iNOS were significantly decreased, demonstrating the anti-inflammatory function of DLL. Overall, this study provided insight into the lipid composition of DLL, revealed the influence of temperature, and explored the functionality of DLL (−20 °C), allowing for further application of DLLs as functional foods.

Propolis has potential anti-inflammatory properties, but little is known about its efficacy against inflammatory reactions caused by drug-resistant bacteria, and the difference in efficacy between propolis and tree gum is also unclear. Here, an in vivo study was performed to study the effects of ethanol extract from poplar propolis (EEP) and poplar tree gum (EEG) against heat-inactivated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice. Pre-treatment with EEP and EEG (100 mg/kg, p.o.) resulted in significant protective effects on ALI in mice, and EEP exerted stronger activity to alleviate lung tissue lesions and ALI scores compared with that of EEG. Furthermore, EEP significantly suppressed the levels of pro-inflammatory mediators in the lung, including TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IFN-γ. Gut microbiota analysis revealed that both EEP and EEG could modulate the composition of the gut microbiota, enhance the abundance of beneficial microbiota and reduce the harmful ones, and partly restore the levels of short-chain fatty acids. EEP could modulate more serum metabolites and showed a more robust correlation between serum metabolites and gut microbiota. Overall, these results support the anti-inflammatory effects of propolis in the treatment of ALI, and the necessity of the quality control of propolis.

Samples of stingless honey from six species of stingless bees collected at nine stations in different Brazilian states were analyzed by chemometric methods for moisture, impurities and solid residues, ash, pH, electrical conductivity, proteins, proline, identification of adulteration, presence of substances such as phytochemical analysis, color and levels of HMF. The color (C) varied between water white and dark amber. Proteins (mL) varied from 0.00 (S5) to 2.00 (S4). Lund test from 0.00% (S5) to 3.10% (S6), total phenols (TP%) from 0.04 to 13.45 mg/100 g GAE, total flavonoids from (TF%) 0.03 to 0.11 mg/100 g QE, and HMF from 0.00 to 14.28 mg/kg. There was an increased amount of PRO in S7 and S8. S1, S4, S7 and S8 had the best antioxidant activity (EC₅₀). A heat map showed that S2 was the sample with the highest %Brix, %insoluble solids, %humidity and pH, but the lowest TP%. S7 had the highest C, proline (PRO), TF%, EC₅₀ and EC. S4 had high %A and intermediate results between groups 9, 5, 6 and groups 1, 3, 8. The sample honey S6 showed a high content of TP (13.45 ± 0.98 mg/100 g of GAE). In contrast, stingless honey samples exhibited better DPPH scavenging activity (EC₅₀: 21.45 ± 0.54 to 53.71 ± 0.24 mg/mL). The chemometric classification of stingless bee honey revealed that the physicochemical properties contributed significantly to the classification of stingless bee honey from different bee species. With all the information presented here, the results obtained and correlations from multivariate statistical analysis, we propose the creation of a standard for the technical regulation of Brazilian native bee honey, based on the literature and quality parameters described here.