LC-MS/MS Quantification Reveals Ample Gut Uptake and Metabolization of Dietary Phytochemicals in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Journal article, 2021
The honey bee pollen/nectar diet is rich in bioactive phytochemicals and recent studies have demonstrated the potential of phytochemicals to influence honey bee disease resistance. To unravel the role of dietary phytochemicals in honey bee health it is essential to understand phytochemical uptake, bioavailability, and metabolism but presently limited knowledge exists. With this study we aim to build a knowledge foundation. For 5 days, we continuously fed honey bees on eight individual phytochemicals and measured the concentrations in whole and dissected bees by HPLC-MS/MS. Ample phytochemical metabolization was observed, and only 6-30% of the consumed quantities were recovered. Clear differences in metabolization rates were evident, with atropine, aucubin, and triptolide displaying significantly slower metabolism. Phytochemical gut uptake was also demonstrated, and oral bioavailability was 4-31%, with the highest percentages observed for amygdalin, triptolide, and aucubin. We conclude that differences in the chemical properties and structure impact phytochemical uptake and metabolism.
HPLC-MS/MS
diet
methyllycaconitine
honey bee
aucubin
triptolide
bioavailability
amygdalin
gut
quantification
metabolization
senkirkine
gelsemine
senecionine
phytochemical
uptake
atropine
Apis mellifera
Author
Nanna Hjort Vidkjaer
Chalmers, Biology and Biological Engineering, Food and Nutrition Science
Aarhus University
Inge S. Fomsgaard
Aarhus University
Per Kryger
Aarhus University
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
0021-8561 (ISSN) 1520-5118 (eISSN)
Vol. 69 2 627-637Subject Categories
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Nutrition and Dietetics
DOI
10.1021/acs.jafc.0c03584
PubMed
33416324