Beeswax: A minireview of its antimicrobial activity and its application in medicine

Abstract

Beeswax is the substance that forms the structure of a honeycomb; the bees secrete wax to build the honeycombs where to store honey. Thanks to its rich hydrophobic protective properties, the beeswax is in fact present within cosmetics and body products. Also, beeswax is used in the food industry: as a film to wrap cheese for maturing or as a food additive (E901) to give shine to the products. Exactly as the honey which it contains, beeswax is also characterized by several therapeutic properties of great interest to us; it is thought to be particularly effective in healing bruises, inflammation and burns. Recently, the interest of researchers has moved even on antimicrobial properties of beeswax although there are still few studies in the literature focused only on the action of beeswax. The few studies showed an antimicrobic effectiveness of beeswax against overall Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger; these inhibitory effects are enhanced synergistically with other natural products such as honey or olive oil. This minireview aims to be a collection of major scientific works that have considered the antimicrobial activity of beeswax alone or in combination with other natural products in recent years.

Food quality affects the expression of antimicrobial peptide genes upon simulated parasite attack in the larvae of greater wax moth

“…Manipulation of specific nutrients provides better control for isolating the dietary causes of immunological responses (Ponton et al, 2011(Ponton et al, , 2013Povey et al, 2013). This is especially important in G. mellonella because the larval food in this species consists of bee-wax and honey, both possessing substantial antibacterial properties (Fratini et al, 2016). Most likely, the antibacterial properties of food explain the dominance of Enterococcus mundtii (syn.…”

Impregnation as a method for preservation of relics used by the Christian Church

“…It is a cement-like substance which contains wax, mastic, mastic, myrrh, aloes, frankincense, rose oil, and occasionally marble dust (12). Natural beeswax is a complex mixture of carbohydrates, free fatty acids, fatty acid esters, alcohols and other substances (13,14), which is well known to have antimicrobial properties (15). Wax, especially when it is molten, as in the case of pouring the wax-mastic over relics, can sufficiently impregnate smaller tissue pieces.…”

Evaluation of Beeswax Influence on Physical Properties of Lipstick Using Instrumental and Sensory Methods

“…This substance contains natural ingredients, which help retain moisture in the skin, especially helpful for dry and chapped lips. Various researches have also discovered that beeswax contains small amounts of natural antibacterial agents and can help prevent a painful inflammation that comes with an infection [8]. Beeswax is vitamin-rich, containing plenty of vitamin A, which helps to improve wound healing, reduces wrinkles, protects the skin against UV radiation, and stimulates skin cells turnover [9].…”