Sultana Sharmin, Foster Kevin J, Lawag Ivan Lozada, Lim Lee Yong, Hammer Katherine, Locher Cornelia
Division of Pharmacy, School of Allied Health, University of Western Australia, Perth 6009, Australia.
School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Australia.
Foods. 2024 Jun 1;13(11):1739. doi: 10.3390/foods13111739.
This study is the first to report on the presence of oestrogenic compounds in different clover flower nectar samples, in bee-deposited nectars collected from hive combs (unripe honey) and in mature honeys harvested from the same hives. The clover species investigated were two red clover () cultivars, bred specifically for high isoflavone content, alongside a sainfoin () and a purple clover () cultivar. A total of eight isoflavones, four of them non-glycosidic (biochanin A, formononetin, genistein and daidzein) the others glycosidic (sissotrin, ononin, genistin and daidzin), were targeted for identification and quantification in this study using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC). Leaves and flower bracts of the clover samples were also investigated. Different isoflavone profiles were found across the four clover species and also in the different samples collected from each species indicating that, most likely due to the activity of honeybee () salivary enzymes, biochemical conversions take place when these bioactive compounds transition from flower nectar into ripe honey. Among the four investigated clover species, the two red clover cultivars, including their honeys, were found to contain higher levels of estrogenic compounds compared to other two cultivars.
本研究首次报告了不同三叶草花蜜样本、从蜂巢采集的蜜蜂分泌的花蜜（未成熟蜂蜜）以及从同一蜂巢收获的成熟蜂蜜中存在雌激素化合物。所研究的三叶草品种包括两个专门培育用于高异黄酮含量的红三叶草品种，以及一个红豆草品种和一个紫花苜蓿品种。本研究使用高效薄层色谱法（HPTLC）对总共八种异黄酮进行了鉴定和定量，其中四种为非糖苷型（鹰嘴豆芽素A、芒柄花素、染料木黄酮和大豆苷元），其他为糖苷型（刺芒柄花苷、鹰嘴豆芽素、染料木苷和大豆苷）。还对三叶草样本的叶子和苞片进行了研究。在这四种三叶草品种以及从每个品种采集的不同样本中发现了不同的异黄酮谱，这表明当这些生物活性化合物从花蜜转变为成熟蜂蜜时，很可能由于蜜蜂唾液酶的活性发生了生化转化。在四种被研究的三叶草品种中，发现两个红三叶草品种及其蜂蜜中的雌激素化合物含量高于其他两个品种。
