Screening of Selected Stingless Bee Honey Varieties for ACE2-Spike Protein-Binding Inhibition Activity: A Potential Preventive Medicine Against SARS-Cov-2 Infection
Authors:   Laboratory of Forest Product Chemistry, Faculty of Forestry, Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia, Arung Enos Tangke ,   Research Center for Drugs and Cosmetics from Tropical Rainforest Resources, Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia, Ramadhan Rico ,   Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia,   Division of Exploration and Synthesis of Bioactive Compounds, Research Center for Bio-Molecule Engineering, Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia, Mandzilkh Liidza Diana ,   Laboratory of Forest Product Chemistry, Faculty of Forestry, Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia, Santoso Prasetia Aktavinaldy ,   Laboratory of Forest Product Chemistry, Faculty of Forestry, Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia, Matsumoto Masako ,   Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan, Nagata Maki ,   Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan, Kusuma Irawan Wijaya ,   Laboratory of Forest Product Chemistry, Faculty of Forestry, Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia, Paramita Swandari ,   Research Center for Drugs and Cosmetics from Tropical Rainforest Resources, Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia,   Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia, - Sukemi ,   Chemical Education Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia, - Yadi ,   Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia, Takemoto Naomichi ,   Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan, Amen Yhiya ,   Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan,   Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt, - Syafrizal ,   Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Science, Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia, Shimizu Kuniyoshi ,   Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan,   Institute for Asian and Oceanian Studies, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan, Tandirogang Nataniel ,   Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia
Published: November 2022

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.