Propolis, a resinous substance produced by honeybees from various plant sources, has been used for thousands of years in traditional medicine for several purposes all over the world. The precise composition of propolis varies according to plant source, seasons harvesting, geography, type of bee flora, climate changes, and honeybee species at the site of collection. This apiary product has broad clinical applications such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, analgesic, antidepressant, and anxiolytic as well asimmunomodulatory effects. It is also well known from traditional uses in treating purulent disorders, improving the wound healing, and alleviating many of the related discomforts. Even if its use was already widespread since ancient times, after the First and Second World War, it has grown even more as well as the studies to identify its chemical and pharmacological features, allowing to discriminate the qualities of propolis in terms of the chemical profile and relative biological activity based on the geographic place of origin. Recently, several in vitro and in vivo studies have been carried out and new insights into the pharmaceutical prospects of this bee product in the management of different disorders, have been highlighted. Specifically, the available literature confirms the efficacy of propolis and its bioactive compounds in the reduction of cancer progression, inhibition of bacterial and viral infections as well as mitigation of parasitic-related symptoms, paving the way to the use of propolis as an alternative approach to improve the human health. However, a more conscious use of propolis in terms of standardized extracts as well as new clinical studies are needed to substantiate these health claims.

Plants are an essential component of our daily diet, and their nutritional value has been thoroughly studied for many years. The ability of plants to adapt to changing environmental conditions through signaling systems is an essential component of their survival. Plants undergo an array of physiological alterations to respond to stress from biotic sources. Secondary compounds frequently accumulate in crops that are sensitive to stress, particularly those with several eliciting agents or signaling molecules. Plants contain various types of bioactive compounds, including phytosterols, alkaloids, glycosides, and polyphenols, which make them valuable for the food and pharmaceutical industries. The increased production of secondary metabolites via elicitation has opened up a new field of study with the potential to provide substantial financial gains for the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. These elicitors are pharmacological compounds that activate specific transcription factors and up-regulate genes to activate metabolic pathways. Thus, the current review discusses the mechanism of biotic elicitation and various elicitation techniques using biotic (proteins, carbohydrates, rhizobacteria, fungi, and hormones) elicitors that may increase the yield of secondary metabolites, particularly in medicinal plants, which is advantageous to the agrochemical and therapeutic industries.

N-nitroso compounds (NOC) are produced by the acid catalyzed reaction of nitrite with certain nitrogen compounds. The gastrointestinal tract (GI) is the main site for the formation of reactive nitrogen species (RNS). Bacteria present on the GI tract surface reduced the dietary nitrate or nitrite into Nitric oxide NO and other related compounds. The clinical sign of NOC carcinogenicity varies according to species, dose, and route of administration. Humans are exposed to preformed N-nitroso compounds and endogenous NOC via the environmental food chain. Several NOC are potential human carcinogens, including DENA and NDMA, but evidence from population studies is inconsistent.

Depressive disorder is a recurrent illness that affects large numbers of the general population worldwide. In recent years, the goal of depression treatment has moved from symptomatic response to that of full remission. However, treatment-resistant depression is a major challenge in the treatment of depression or depression-related disorders. Consensus opinion, therefore, suggests that effective combined aggressive initial treatment is the most appropriate strategy. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of quercetin (QUR) and/or ascorbic acid (AA) on Phenobarbital-induced sleeping mice. QUR (50 mg/kg) and/or AA (25 mg/kg) with or without intraperitoneally pre-treated with GABA receptor agonist (diazepam: 2 mg/kg, i.p.) or antagonist (Flumazenil: 2.5 mg/kg, i.p.) to underscore the effects, as well as the possible involvement of the GABA receptor in the modulatory action of QUR and AA in sleeping mice. Additionally, an in silico study was undertaken to predict the involvement of GABA receptors in the sleep mechanism. Findings suggest that the pretreatment of QUR and AA modulated the onset and duration of action of the standard drugs in experimental animals. The acute administration of QUR and/or AA significantly (p < 0.05) reversed the DZP-mediated onset of action and slightly reversed the duration of sleep time in comparison to the vehicle (control) group. A further combination of QUR or AA with the FLU resulted in an enhancement of the onset of action while reducing the duration of action, suggesting a FLU-like effect on the test animals. In in silico studies, AA and QUR showed good to moderate binding affinities with GABA_A and GABA_B receptors. Both QUR and AA produced a stimulatory-like effect on mice, possibly through the GABA_A and GABA_B receptor interaction pathways. Further studies are necessary to verify this activity and clarify the exact mechanism of action(s) involved.