PALYNOLOGICAL ANALYSIS, PHENOLIC COMPONENTS AND ANTIINFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF SOME BEE POLLENS COLLECTED FROM THE NORTHEAST REGION OF ALGERIA

Abstract

Bee pollen is multiplex blend of floral pollen and nectar agglutinated by bee salivary substances. It is famously known for being high in proteins, carbs, lipids, vitamins, and phenolic compounds, among other physiologically dynamic components. Its composition fluctuates incredibly agreeing to both botanical origins and edaphoclimatic conditions. In this work, the botanical origin, the phenolic components and the anti-inflammatory activity in vivo of eight bee pollens intended for human consumption were taken from distinctive apiaries in Algeria's northeast, were determined and compared. All samples were detected heterofloral based on the identification of forty pollen types belonging to 22 botanical families. Total phenolic contents varied between 752.94 ± 17.78 and 12247.06 ± 40.04 mg GAE/100g, while the total flavonoid contents ranged from 2680.55 ± 12.02 to 8506.94 ± 15.56 mg QE/100g, and the total flavonol contents were in the interval between 4978.87 ± 33.39 and 7903.75 ± 24.39 mg QE/100g. The obtained results showed that the bulk of the ethanolic extracts had a good anti-inflammatory activity. As a conclusion, all the aforementioned heterofloral bee pollen samples could significantly be a wealthy source of polyphenols with a potential anti-inflammatory activity.