Importance of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in Bee Products

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are one of the groups of harmful chemicals of plants, which are natural toxins. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids found in about 3% of all flowering plants of widespread geographical distribution are known as one of the components of the hepatotoxic group of plant origin and referred as hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. According to researches, bee products is regarded as one of the main food sources in the exposure of people to pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Consumption of pyrrolizidine alkaloids containing bee products, such as honey, pollen, propolis and royal jelly, is a potential threat to human health, especially for infant and fetuses. Besides the acute toxic effects, the genotoxic effects and tumorigenicity potential of pyrrolizidine alkaloids was demonstrated. This manuscript gives an overview about bee products containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids and toxification processes in humans.

___

  • [1] BOPPRÉ, M (2011) The ecological context of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in food, feed and forage: an overview. Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, 28: 260-281.
  • [2] SAHİN, H; TURUMTAY, E A; YILDIZ, O; KOLAYLI, S (2015) Grayanotoxin-III Detection and Antioxidant Activity of Mad Honey. International Journal of Food Properties, 18 (12): 2665-2674.
  • [3] MARTINELLO, M; CRISTOFOLI, C; GALLINA, A; MUTINELLI, F (2014) Easy and rapid method for the quantitative determination of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in honey by ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry: An evaluation in commercial honey. Food Control, 37: 146-152.
  • [4] KEMPF, M; REINHARD, A; BEUERLE, T (2010a) Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) in honey and polen – legal regulation of PA levels in food and animal feed required. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 54: 158-168.
  • [5] EDGAR, J A; COLEGATE, S M; BOPPRÉ, M; MOLYNEUX, R J (2011) Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in food: a spectrum of potential health consequences. Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, 28: 308-324.
  • [6] WIEDENFELD, H; EDGAR, J (2011) Toxicity of pyrrolizidine alkaloids to humans and rumi-nants. Phytochemistry Reviews, 10: 137-151.
  • [7] EDGAR, J A; ROEDER, E; MOLYNEUX R J (2002) Honey from plants containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids: a potential threat to health. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 50: 2719-2730.
  • [8] CREWS, C; BERTHILLER, F; KRSKA, R (2010) Update on analytical methods for toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 396 (1): 327-338.
  • [9] BOPPRÉ, M; COLEGATE, S M; EDGAR, J A (2005) Pyrrolizidine alkaloids of Echium vulgare honey found in pure pollen. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 53: 594-600.
  • [10] BETTERIDGE, K; CAO, Y; COLEGATE, S M (2005) Improved method for extraction and LC-MS analysis of pyrrolizidine alkaloids and their N-oxides in honey: application to Echium vulgare honeys. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 53: 1894-1902.
  • [11] BEALES, K A; BETTERİDGE, K; COLEGATE, S M; EDGAR, J A (2004) Solid-phase extraction and LC-MS analysis of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in honeys. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 52: 6664-6672.
  • [12] DUBECKE, A; BECKH, G; LULLMANN, C (2011) Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in honey and bee pollen. Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, 28: 348-358.
  • [13] GRIFFIN, C T; DANAHER, M; ELLIOTT, C T; GLENN KENNEDY, D; FUREY, A (2012) Detection of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in commercial honey using liquid chromatographyion trap mass spectrometry. Food Chemistry, 136: 1577-1583.
  • [14] ORANTES-BERMEJO, F J; SERRA BONVEHÍ, J; GÓMEZ-PAJUELO, A; MEGÍAS, M; TORRES, C (2013) Pyrrolizidine alkaloids: their occurrence in Spanish honey collected from purple viper’s bugloss (Echium spp.). Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, 30: 1799-1806.
  • [15] BODI, D; RONCZKA, S; GOTTSCHALK, C; BEHR, N; SKIBBA, A; WAGNER, M; LAHRSSEN-WIEDERHOLT, M; PREISS-WEIGERT, A; THESE, A (2014) Determination of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in tea, herbal drugs and honey. Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, 31 (11): 1886-1895.
  • [16] EFSA (2011) Scientific Opinion on Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in food and feed. EFSA Journal, 9 (11): 1-134 . [17] KEMPF, M; WITTIG, M; SCHÖNFELD, K; CRAMER, L; SCHREIER, P; BEUERLE, T (2011) Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in food: downstream contamination in the food chain caused by honey and pollen. Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, 28: 325-331.
  • [18] BOPPRÉ, M; COLEGATE, S M; EDGAR, J A; FISCHER O W (2008a) Hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids in pollen and drying-related implications for commercial processing of bee pollen. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 56: 5662-5672.
  • [19] KEMPF, M; HEIL, S; HAßLAUER, I; SCHMIDT, L; VON DER OHE, K; THEURING, C; REINHARD, A; SCHREİR, P; BEUERLE, T (2010b) Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in pollen and pollen products. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 54: 292-300.
  • [20] CAO, Y; COLEGATE, S M; EDGAR, J A (2013) Persistence of echimidine, a hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloid, from honey into mead. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 29: 106-109.
  • [21] CRAMER, L; BEUERLE T (2012) Detection and quantification of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in antibacterial medical honeys. Planta Medica, 78: 1976-1982
  • [22] EFSA (2015) External Scientific Report. Occurrence of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in food. EFSA Supporting Publications, 12 (8).
  • [23] WIEDENFELD, H (2011) Toxicity of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids – A Serious Health Problem. Journal of Marmara University Institute of Health Sciences, 1: 79-87.
  • [24] PRAKASH, A S; PEREIRA, T N; REILLY, P E; SEAWRIGHT, A A (1999) Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in human diet. Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis, 443: 53-67.
  • [25] RASENACK, R; MULLER, C; KLEİNSCHMİDT, M; RASENACK, J; WİEDENFELD, H (2003) Veno-occlusive disease in a fetus caused by pyrrolizidine alkaloids of food origin. Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy, 18: 223-225
  • [26] BOPPRÉ, M; FISCHER, O W; EDGAR, J A; COLEGATE, S M; BURZLAFF, T (2008b) Cryptic health risks from bee products naturally containing hazardous pyrrolizidine alkaloids – facts and perspectives. First European Food Congress, Ljubljana-Slovenia, November 4–9 2008.
  • [27] BfR (2016) Frequently asked questions on Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in food. Available from:http://www.bfr.bund.de/en/frequently_asked_questions_on_pyrrolizidine_alkaloids_in_food-187360.html#questions
  • [28] ANON (2011) Health Risks from Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids. Available from: http://www.fzi.unifreiburg.de/en/44.php
  • [29] RIVM (The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) (2015) Adequate limit value for pyrrolizidine alkaloids in herbal tea and herbal preparations. Available from:http://www.rivm.nl/en/Documents_and_publications/Common_and_Present/Newsmessages/2015/Adequate_limit_value_for_pyrrolizidine_alkaloids_in_herbal_tea_and_herbal_preparations
  • [30] ANZFA (2001) Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in Food. A Toxicological Review and Risk Assessment. Technical report series no.2. Canberra, Australia.Availablefrom:http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/_srcfiles/TR2.pdf