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Review
. 2021 Jun 5;26(11):3421.
doi: 10.3390/molecules26113421.

Review on Bee Products as Potential Protective and Therapeutic Agents in Male Reproductive Impairment

Joseph Bagi Suleiman  1   2 , Ainul Bahiyah Abu Bakar  1 , Mahaneem Mohamed  1   3
Affiliations
Review

Review on Bee Products as Potential Protective and Therapeutic Agents in Male Reproductive Impairment

Joseph Bagi Suleiman et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Bee products are sources of functional food that have been used in complementary medicine to treat a variety of acute and chronic illnesses in many parts of the world. The products vary from location to location as well as country to country. Therefore, the aim of this review was to identify various bee products with potential preventive and therapeutic values used in the treatment of male reproductive impairment. We undertook a vigorous search for bee products with preventive and therapeutic values for the male reproductive system. These products included honey, royal jelly, bee pollen, bee brood, apilarnil, bee bread, bee wax, and bee venom. We also explained the mechanisms involved in testicular steroidogenesis, reactive oxygen species, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis, which may cumulatively lead to male reproductive impairment. The effects of bee pollen, bee venom, honey, propolis, royal jelly, and bee bread on male reproductive parameters were examined. Conclusively, these bee products showed positive effects on the steroidogenic, spermatogenic, oxidative stress, inflammatory, and apoptotic parameters, thereby making them a promising possible preventive and therapeutic treatment of male sub/infertility.

Keywords: bee products; male reproductive impairment; preventive; therapeutic.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Factors involved in testicular impairment (adapted from [60]). Apaf1: Apoptotic protease activating factor 1; Bak: Bcl2 Antagonist/Killer;Bax: Bcl-2-like protein 4; Bcl2: B-cell lymphoma 2; Bid: Bax-like BH3 protein; CASP-3: Caspase 3; CASP-9: Caspase 9; CASP-8: Caspase 8; CAT: Catalase; CYP11A: Cytochrome P450 11A; CYP17A: Cytochrome P450 17A; Cyt c: Cytochrome c; DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid; FasL: Fas ligand; IL-6: Interleukin 6; IL-β: Interleukin β; LPO: Lipid peroxidation; proCASP 3: proCaspase 3; proCASP 8: pro Caspase 8; proCASP 9: pro Caspase 9; SOD: Superoxide dismutase; StAR: Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein; αTNF: α Tumor necrotic factor.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Summary of the effects of bee products on male reproductive impairment (adapted from [60]). DNA: deoxyribonucleic acid; IL-6: interleukin 6; IL-ß: interleukin ß; LPO: lipid peroxidation; αTNF: α-tumor necrotic factor; ROS: reactive oxygen species.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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