Phenolic Acid Composition, Antiatherogenic and Anticancer Potential of Honeys Derived from Various Regions in Greece

Abstract

The phenolic acid profile of honey depends greatly on its botanical and geographical origin. In this study, we carried out a quantitative analysis of phenolic acids in the ethyl acetate extract of 12 honeys collected from various regions in Greece. Our findings indicate that protocatechuic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid and p-coumaric acid are the major phenolic acids of the honeys examined. Conifer tree honey (from pine and fir) contained significantly higher concentrations of protocatechuic and caffeic acid (mean: 6640 and 397 µg/kg honey respectively) than thyme and citrus honey (mean of protocatechuic and caffeic acid: 437.6 and 116 µg/kg honey respectively). p-Hydroxybenzoic acid was the dominant compound in thyme honeys (mean: 1252.5 µg/kg honey). We further examined the antioxidant potential (ORAC assay) of the extracts, their ability to influence viability of prostate cancer (PC-3) and breast cancer (MCF-7) cells as well as their lowering effect on TNF- α-induced adhesion molecule expression in endothelial cells (HAEC). ORAC values of Greek honeys ranged from 415 to 2129 µmol Trolox equivalent/kg honey and correlated significantly with their content in protocatechuic acid (p<0.001), p-hydroxybenzoic acid (p<0.01), vanillic acid (p<0.05), caffeic acid (p<0.01), p-coumaric acid (p<0.001) and their total phenolic content (p<0.001). Honey extracts reduced significantly the viability of PC-3 and MCF-7 cells as well as the expression of adhesion molecules in HAEC. Importantly, vanillic acid content correlated significantly with anticancer activity in PC-3 and MCF-7 cells (p<0.01, p<0.05 respectively). Protocatechuic acid, vanillic acid and total phenolic content correlated significantly with the inhibition of VCAM-1 expression (p<0.05, p<0.05 and p<0.01 respectively). In conclusion, Greek honeys are rich in phenolic acids, in particular protocatechuic and p-hydroxybenzoic acid and exhibit significant antioxidant, anticancer and antiatherogenic activities which may be attributed, at least in part, to their phenolic acid content.

Genetics and Biochemistry of Zero-Tannin Lentils

“…Zero-tannin lentils cannot provide the health benefits associated with flavan-3-ols and proanthocyanidins; but some health advantages can be achieved. Phenolic acids, flavones, and flavonols show anti-oxidative [2–4], anti-cardiovascular disease [3], anti-cancer [3–6], anti-diabetic [3, 6], and anti-HIV [3, 6] effects. They may also increase the bioavailability of iron [8].…”

Determination of phenolic acids and flavonoids in Rhinacanthus nasutus (L.) kurz by high-performance-liquid-chromatography with photodiode-array detection and tandem mass spectrometry

“…The main types of phenolic acids in plants include hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives such as vanillic acid and gallic acid as well as hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives such as caffeic acid and ferulic acid (Chen, Inbaraj, & Chen, 2012). Most importantly, phenolic acids have been demonstrated to possess vital biological activities including anti-cancer (Spilioti et al, 2014), antibacteria (Sanchez-Maldonado, Schieber, & Ganzle, 2011) and antioxidation (John & Shahidi, 2010).…”

Honey as a Functional Food

“…Honey and other bee products, whereby royal jelly and propolis may be used as functional foods because of their naturally high antioxidant potential, which could contributes to the prevention of certain illnesses [36][37][38]. Ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Greeks and Romans used honey in combination with vegetable or animal fat but also as part of all sorts of ointments [38].…”