DOI: 10.5061/dryad.83bk3j9w3
title: Phytochemical profiles of honey bees (Apis mellifera) and their larvae differ from the composition of their pollen diet

description: Pollen and nectar consumed by honeybees contain plant secondary
 metabolites (PSMs) with vital roles in plant-insect interactions. While
 PSMs can be toxic to bees, they can also be health-promoting, e.g., by
 improving pesticide and pathogen tolerances. As xenobiotics, PSMs undergo
 post-ingestion chemical modifications that can affect their bioactivity
 and transmission to the brood. Despite the importance of understanding
 honeybee PSM metabolism and distribution for elucidating bioactivity
 mechanisms, these aspects remain largely unexplored. In this study, we
 used HPLC-MS/MS to profile 47 pollen PSMs in honeybees and larvae. Both
 adult bees and larvae had distinct PSM profiles that differed from their
 diet. This is likely due to post-ingestion metabolism and
 compound-dependent variations in PSM transmission to the brood via nurse
 bee jelly. Phenolic acids and flavonoid aglycones were most abundant in
 bees and larvae, whereas alkaloids, cyanogenic glycosides, and
 diterpenoids had the lowest abundance despite being consumed in higher
 concentrations. This study documents larval exposure to a variety of PSMs
 for the first time, with concentrations increasing from early to late
 larval instars. Our findings provide novel insights into the
 post-ingestion fate of PSMs in honeybees, providing a foundation for
 further exploration of biotransformation pathways and PSM effects on
 honeybee health.
description: # Phytochemical profiles of honey bees (*Apis mellifera*) and their larvae
 differ from the composition of their pollen diet.
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.83bk3j9w3](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.83bk3j9w3) This dataset contains the raw data files from the targeted analyses of a series of plant secondary metabolites in pollen as well as adult honey bees and their larvae that consumed the pollen in controlled feeding experiments. Details about the extraction, HPLC-MS/MS analyses (data recorded in multiple reaction monitoring mode (MRM)) and results can be found in the manuscript. ## Description of the data and file structure The dataset is included in the file: LC-MS-Data_Vidkjaer_rsos231654.zip. Each file contains data for multiple samples. **Explanation of columns in the metadata file (Metadata_Vidkjaer_rsos231654.xlsx):** **Sample:** Short description of the sample material. **Sample ID:** ID of the sample in the data file from the instrument included in LC-MS-Data_Vidkjaer_rsos231654.zip. **Data file:** Name of the Analyst 1.6.2 file in LC-MS-Data_Vidkjaer_rsos231654.zip containing the data for this sample. **Sample weight:** Sample quantity extracted. **Extraction volume:** Volume of solvent used for the extraction. **Volume diluted:** Volume of extract diluted prior to HPLC-MS/MS analyses. For samples purified by solid phase extraction (SPE), this indicates the volume of SPE purified extract diluted prior to HPLC-MS/MS. For the remaining samples, this is the volume of raw extract diluted. **Volume for SPE:** Volume of extract purified by solid phase extraction (SPE). “NA” indicates that the sample was not purified by SPE. **Dilution:** Dilution factor, e.g., for the first row in the file 0.1ml raw extract was diluted 4 times prior to being injected on the instrument. **Analyte:** Analyte targeted by the HPLC-MS/MS analysis. The data (LC-MS-Data_Vidkjaer_rsos231654.zip) is HPLC-MS/MS data (Sciex QTRAP 4500 and 3200; .wiff and .wiff.scan) of extracts of pollen, adult honey bees and honey bee larvae targeting a series of plant secondary metabolites originating from the pollen that was fed to the bees in controlled experiments as detailed in the manuscript. The files included are the raw data from the instrument recorded in multiple reaction monitoring mode (MRM). Sciex Analyst version 1.6.2 is required to open the .wiff and .wiff.scan data files.