Are by-products from beeswax recycling process a new promising source of bioactive compounds with biomedical properties?. (February 2018) - Giampieri, Francesca
Abstract: During the process of beeswax recycling, many industrial derivatives are obtained. These matrices may have an interesting healthy and commercial potential but to date they have not been properly studied. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the proximal and phytochemical composition, the antioxidant capacity and cytotoxic effects of two by-products from beeswax recycling process named MUD 1 and MUD 2 on liver hepatocellular carcinoma. Our results showed that MUD 1 presented the highest ( P < .05) fiber, protein, carbohydrate, polyphenol and flavonoid concentration, as well as the highest ( P < .05) total antioxidant capacity than the MUD 2 samples. MUD1 exerted also anticancer activity on HepG2 cells, by reducing cellular viability, increasing intracellular ROS levels and affecting mitochondrial functionality in a dose-dependent manner. We showed for the first time that by-products from beeswax recycling process can represent a rich source of phytochemicals with high total antioxidant capacity and anticancer activity; however, further researches are necessary to evaluate their potentiality for human health by in vivo studies. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: By-products from beeswax recycling process possess high content of polyphenols. By-products from beeswax recycling process show high total antioxidant capacity. By-products from beeswax recycling process exert anticancer activities. By-products from beeswax recycling process may play promising healthy effects.