Bee products, including honey, have been utilized since ancient times for nutritional and therapeutic purposes. Recently, other bee products such as bee pollen, royal jelly, and propolis have caught a lot of attention. Being high in antioxidants and bioactive compounds, these products have established their applications in the pharmaceutical field as supplementary or alternative medicines. This review focuses on their use against polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)-related infertility. A systematic search of electronic databases including PubMed, Web of Science ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar was conducted from their inceptions up to November 2022. Studies with a small sample size, studies with inconclusive data, and pre-prints have been excluded. A narrative synthesis was performed during draft preparation after the authors independently performed a literature search. A total of 47 studies were finalized for the review. It can be observed that in vivo data on the use of bee products in treating PCOS mostly deals with their use in synergism with the PCOS medicines to enhance their effect and/or curb their side effects; however, clinical trials for the same are limited. With the amount of data being limited, it is difficult to map out the mechanism by which these products act in managing PCOS inside the human body. The review gives detailed insights into the reversal and restorative properties of bee products against the aberrations in reproductive health caused by PCOS.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine and reproductive disorders observed in women. Its pathophysiology indicates its involvement in plenitude of diseases and/ or disorders. Although the absolute cause of PCOS has not been established, its prevalence in diabetic patients is noteworthy. Glycation and insulin resistance being key factors in diabetes, the present review tries to study their correlation with PCOS. Amongst the available drugs, four commonly prescribed drugs namely, metformin, inositol, thiazolidinediones, and spironolactone have been discussed. The current review also provides insights about usage of M. oleifera and S. platensis as a potential therapeutic agent for symptomatic relief of PCOS.

Excessive generation of wastewater is one of the major reasons for pollution in natural reservoirs. Given the normal circumstances, natural water bodies revive and rejuvenate themselves; but upon increased waste load, the self-revival system of the ecosystem slows down, causing water pollution. Hazardous waste, especially heavy metals and organic pollutants, have affected the ecology to the detriment of humans. Thus, the need arises for wastewater treatment, before its discharge. Current methods undertaken include the use of physical settling of solid waste, filtration, aerobic and anaerobic microbes, and chemical treatments. Low removal of pathogens, dependence on the uninterrupted power supply, high maintenance cost, generation of explosive biogas and bioaccumulation of chemicals are some disadvantages of activated sludge technology, one of the modern technologies used. Hence, the focus has been shifted on organisms capable of metabolizing, immobilizing or absorbing toxic compounds from their environment, making it both environment-friendly and cost-effective. This review provides perspicacity about the generation of sewage and the various methods available for its treatment. Emphasis is made on bioremediation using Spirulina platensis. Since the organism assimilates the bioavailable contaminants of sewage water photosynthetically; it can overcome the demerits of conventional methods. It also discusses possibilities of using Spirulina grown on the sewage as a food supplement, animal fodder or source of bioactive compounds.

Microorganism-based bioremediation is a well-sought after method for industrial wastewater treatment and forms the primary stage. The current research suggests using Spirulina platensis as an organism of choice for bioremediation. This study provides an insight into the potential use of primary-treated wastewater as the growth media for Spirulina platensis. The tolerance of S. platensis was confirmed for metals such as mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) by using media enriched with these metals. S. platensis was most tolerant to Hg followed by Cd and Cu. Further, it is suggested that the biomass and bioactive compounds extracted from S. platensis be tested for their application in animal and aquaculture feed, supplements, and pharmaceuticals.

Human race has been using plants and cyanobacteria for thousands of years for various purposes like food, feed, and medicines. One of them is Spirulina, a powdered form of multicellular organism’s biomass belonging to the family of cyanobacteria, which is used as food in many countries since centuries. The organisms required to produce spirulina can be grown easily on a large scale and bioactive compounds can be extracted and purified without much difficulty. The two species of this organism, Spirulina platensis and Spirulina maxima, are well known for various nutritional and therapeutic applications. The chemical composition of Spirulina has been described in literature and it mainly consists of high protein content (50–70%), carbohydrate (10–20%), and lipids (5–10%). It is also rich in essential minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and unsaturated fatty acids. The presence of these constituents makes this organism suitable for various health benefits like antioxidant, antiobesity, anticancer, antidiabetic, etc. This has been also declared as Generally Recognized as Safe for human consumption by Food and Drug Administration. This chapter discusses the historical importance and health benefits of Spirulina. <!----> <!----> <!----> <!---->