IN VITRO ASSESSMENT OF THE ANTIVIRAL ACTIVITY OF GREEK BEE BREAD AND BEE COLLECTED POLLEN AGAINST ENTEROVIRUS D68

Abstract

Bee bread is derived from bee collected pollen which is processed by the bee, fermented and stored in the hive. Few studies have assessed the antimicrobial activity of bee bread against major bacterial pathogens and fungi. However, to the best of our knowledge, neither bee collected pollen nor bee bread, have so far been investigated for their antiviral properties. In the present study, 18 Greek bee bread and 2 pollen samples from different botanical sources and geographical locations were assessed regarding their in vitro antiviral activity against Enterovirus D68. A cell culture assay combined with a comparative Real-Time PCR assay was performed using different sample concentrations to assess the antiviral activity. MTT assay was implemented in order to calculate the sample toxicity levels on cell culture. Our data suggest that Greek bee bread and bee collected pollen exhibit potent antiviral activity against EV-D68 with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.048 to 5.45 mg/ml. Greek bee bread and bee collected pollen are promising sources of antiviral compounds and should be further studied against diverse viruses in order to explore their full antiviral potential.