Research Article
Open Access Peer-reviewed

Phenolic Profile, Antioxidant, Gastroprotective and Ulcer Healing Activities of Pot-pollen Produced by the Stingless Bee [Melipona compressipes fasciculata (Smith, 1854)]

Josyanne Araújo Neves1, Francilene Vieira da Silva2, Hélio Barros Fernandes2, Ana Flávia Seraine Custódio Viana2, Josynaria Araújo Neves2, Celyane Alves Piauilino2, Benedito Pereira de Sousa Neto2, Joselma Sousa Lacerda Lopes2, Aline Jeane Costa Sousa2, Maísa Campelo de Sousa2, Lucillia Rabelo de Oliveira Torres3, Julia López-Hernández4, Ana Rodriguez-Bernaldo de Quirós4, Raquel Sendón Garcia4, Rita de Cássia Meneses Oliveira2,

1Federal Education Institute, Science and Technology of Maranhão, Codó, Brazil

2Medicinal Plants Research Center, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil

3Federal Education Institute, Science and Technology of Maranhão, Caxias, Brazil

4Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Food Science Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Journal of Food and Nutrition Research. 2023, 11(6), 423-435. DOI: 10.12691/jfnr-11-6-4
Received April 21, 2023; Revised May 27, 2023; Accepted June 08, 2023

Abstract

The gastric ulcer is definited as erosion of the stomach's mucosal wall, which affects over 4.6 million people per year. The objective was to investigate the phenolic profile and the antioxidant activity of Melipona compressipes fasciculata pot-pollen collected at seasons rainy (PPMF1) and dry (PPMF2), as well as the gastroprotective and ulcer healing activities of PPMF2, as PPMF1 did not have a gastroprotective effect in screening protocols. The phenolic profile revealed compounds such as caffeic acid, quercetin, myricetin and naringenin. In models of gastric lesions by ethanol, ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) and acetic acid, PPMF2 reduced the lesion area (at doses 3 to 80 mg/kg, p.o.) and volume at doses (3 to 24 mg/kg, p.o.) with protection at percent 52 to 92%. PPMF2 too, significantly (p<0.05) elevated mucus and non-protein sulfhydryl groups (SH-NP) with an increase of 122% and 92% respectivelly compared to vehicle group, and decreased malonaldehyde (MDA) in rats (36% compared to vehicle group). As for cicatrizant activity in acetic acid-induced ulcer, PPMF2 promoted healing rates until 97%, caused significant microscopic gastric recovery, elevation of SH-NP (103%), attenuation of MDA (84%) levels and improvement of biochemical profile (p<0.05). This is a relevant and pioneering research associating stingless bee (M. compressipes fasciculata) in gastroprotective activity studies.

Keywords:

stingless bees, oxidative stress, phenolics, gastroprotection, pot-pollen
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