Nutritional and Pharmacological Potential of Bee Products: Experimental Insights into Sustainable Apitherapy Applications

The most remarkable natural products made from bees are honey, propolis, royal jelly, venom, and beeswax. The floral resources utilized for foraging determine their rich profile of bioactive compounds, which in turn affects their nutritional value, quality, and composition. Flavonoids, polyphenols, terpenes, alkaloids, glycosides, and other secondary metabolites are among them; they have both nutritional and medicinal value. A wide range of pharmacological effects, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiviral, wound-healing, and neuroprotective properties, are exhibited by bee products because of their complex composition. Recent studies have provided more and more evidence of their nutritional and therapeutic significance.

This Special Issue seeks to offer a thorough platform that emphasizes the nutritional, phytochemical, and pharmacological aspects of bee products in light of the growing interest in natural health products and sustainable nutrition around the world. In addition to their therapeutic value, bee products are functional foods that provide vital nutrients, proteins, fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals that support human health and wellness. This issue promotes interdisciplinary research that connects food science, pharmacology, molecular biology, and clinical applications by fusing traditional knowledge with cutting-edge experimental techniques, such as in vitro, in vivo, and in silico studies. We'll pay close attention to how bee products' bioactive compounds interact with immune responses, metabolic pathways, and gut microbiota, and how these interactions can be used to promote healthy ageing, prevent chronic diseases, and increase resistance to infections. The ultimate goals of this Special Issue are to promote the responsible integration of bee products into contemporary healthcare, individualized nutrition, and international public health initiatives, highlight their role in sustainable diets, and advance creative uses of bee products in apitherapy.

Despite the increasing recognition of bee products as valuable natural resources with nutritional and pharmacological potential, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding their integration into sustainable diets and evidence-based healthcare. Most current studies focus on individual compounds or single products (e.g., honey or propolis), often neglecting the broader nutritional context, synergistic effects among bee products, and their role in promoting long-term public health. Moreover, while traditional knowledge highlights diverse therapeutic applications, systematic experimental validation and mechanistic insights are still limited. Recent advances in omics technologies, molecular docking, and systems biology offer new opportunities to uncover the complex bioactive profiles of bee products and their interactions with metabolic and immune pathways. The main goal of this Research Topic is to provide a multidisciplinary platform that unites nutrition science, pharmacology, and sustainable health approaches to better understand and utilize bee products. By highlighting both experimental and translational research, this collection aims to bridge traditional knowledge with modern scientific evidence, fostering innovative applications of apitherapy in sustainable nutrition, preventive medicine, and global public health.



This Research Topic will focus on advancing knowledge of the nutritional, phytochemical, and pharmacological potential of bee products, with particular emphasis on their role in sustainable diets and healthcare. We welcome original research, reviews, systematic reviews, and short communications that address the following subthemes:

• Nutritional composition of bee products (honey, propolis, royal jelly, venom, beeswax).

• Phytochemical profiling and bioactive compounds in relation to health benefits.

• Antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties.

• In vitro, in vivo, and in silico experimental approaches.

• Translational and clinical studies linking bee products to sustainable nutrition and public health.

• Innovative apitherapy applications and integration into functional foods or nutraceuticals.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Bee products; Bioactive compounds; Antioxidant activity; Anti-inflammatory effects; Antimicrobial properties; Sustainable nutrition; Functional foods; Apitherapy; Public health

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.