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Screening of Selected Stingless Bee Honey Varieties for ACE2-Spike Protein-Binding Inhibition Activity: A Potential Preventive Medicine Against SARS-Cov-2 Infection

Arung ET 1 , Ramadhan R 2 , Mandzilkh LD 1 , Santoso PA 1 , Matsumoto M 3 , Nagata M 3 Show all authors , Kusuma IW 1 , Paramita S 4 , Sukemi 5 , Yadi 6 , Takemoto N 3 , Amen Y 3 , Syafrizal 7 , Shimizu K 3 , Tandirogang N 6

Affiliations 

  • 1 Laboratory of Forest Product Chemistry, Faculty of Forestry, Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia
  • 2 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia
  • 3 Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
  • 4 Research Center for Drugs and Cosmetics from Tropical Rainforest Resources, Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia
  • 5 Chemical Education Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia
  • 6 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia
  • 7 Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Science, Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia
Malays J Med Sci, 2022 Oct;29(5):146-153.
PMID: 36474534 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2022.29.5.15

Abstract

The broader objective of this study is to identify natural materials that might inhibit the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We have focused on stingless bee honey, which has a unique taste that is both sweet and sour and sometimes bitter. We screened 12 samples of honey from 11 species of stingless bees using an angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)-spike protein-binding assay and phytochemical analysis. Ten of the samples showed inhibition above 50% in this assay system. Most of the honey contained tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpenoids, carotenoids and carbohydrates. Our findings in this in vitro study showed that honey from stingless bees may have a potent effect against SARS-CoV-2 infection by inhibiting the ACE2-spike protein-binding.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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