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Review
. 2021 Jan 10;13(1):197.
doi: 10.3390/nu13010197.

Physicochemical and Medicinal Properties of Tualang, Gelam and Kelulut Honeys: A Comprehensive Review

Datu Agasi Mohd Kamal  1   2 , Siti Fatimah Ibrahim  1 , Haziq Kamal  1 , Mohd Izhar Ariff Mohd Kashim  3   4 , Mohd Helmy Mokhtar  1
Affiliations
Review

Physicochemical and Medicinal Properties of Tualang, Gelam and Kelulut Honeys: A Comprehensive Review

Datu Agasi Mohd Kamal et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Tualang, Gelam and Kelulut honeys are tropical rainforest honeys reported to have various medicinal properties. Studies related to the medicinal properties and physicochemical characteristics of these honeys are growing extensively and receiving increased attention. This review incorporated and analysed the findings on the biological and physicochemical properties of these honeys. Tualang, Gelam and Kelulut honeys were found to possess a wide variety of biological effects attributed to their physicochemical characteristics. Findings revealed that these honeys have anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, anti-cancer, anti-oxidative, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties and effects on the cardiovascular system, nervous system and reproductive system. The physicochemical properties of these honeys were compared and discussed and results showed that they have high-quality contents and excellent antioxidant sources.

Keywords: Gelam honey; Kelulut honey; Tualang honey; anti-cancer; anti-oxidative; health benefits.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The medicinal properties of Tualang, Gelam and Kelulut honeys. ROS: reactive oxygen species; MDA: malondialdehyde; SOD: superoxide dismutase; CAT: catalase; GPX: glutathione peroxidase; TGFβ: transforming growth factor beta; Apaf-1: Apoptotic protease activating factor-1; IFN-γ: interferon-gamma; IFNGR1: interferon gamma receptor-1; p53: tumor protein P53; ESR1: oestrogen receptor-1; TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor alpha; Bcl-xL: B-cell lymphoma-extra-large; IL-1β: interleukin-1 beta; IL-6: interleukin 6; IL-8: interleukin 8; IL-10: interleukin 10; NF-kB: nuclear factor kappa B; IκBα: NF-kappa-B inhibitor alpha; COX-2: cyclooxygenase-2.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Anti-oxidative mechanism of Tualang, Gelam and Kelulut honeys. ROS: reactive oxygen species; MDA: malondialdehyde; SOD: superoxide dismutase; CAT: catalase; GSH: glutathione; PC: protein carbonyl; NF-kB: nuclear factor kappa B; MAPK: mitogen-activated protein kinases; JNKS: c-jun N-terminal kinases; IKK-β: I-kappa-B-kinase beta; IRS-1: insulin receptor substrate-1.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Anti-cancer mechanism of Tualang, Gelam and Kelulut honeys. KRAS: K-Ras encoding gene; ERK: extracellular signal-regulated kinase; AKT: protein kinase B; Bcl-xL: B-cell lymphoma-extra-large; NF-kB: nuclear factor kappa B; TWIST1: Twist-related protein 1 gene; RAC1: Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 gene; CCND1: Cyclin D1 gene; EGFR: epidermal growth factor receptor gene; COX-2: cyclooxygenase-2.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Anti-inflammatory mechanism of Tualang, Gelam and Kelulut honeys. TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor alpha; COX-2: cyclooxygenase-2; TNF- α: tumour necrosis factor alpha; IL-1β: interleukin-1 beta; IL-10: interleukin 10; NF-kB: nuclear factor kappa B; IκBα: NF-kappa-B inhibitor alpha; MAPK: mitogen-activated protein kinases; Nrf2: nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Wound-healing mechanism of Tualang, Gelam and Kelulut honeys. TGFβ: transforming growth factor beta; IL-1α: interleukin-1α; IL-1β: interleukin-1β; IL-6: interleukin-6.
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