Table 3.

Summary of some recent studies on the effects of different honeybee products on reproductive performance of males in different mammalian species.

Animal Species	Treatment/Honeybee Product	Result	Suggested Mode of Action
Rats [16]	1 mL/100 g BW of honey for 65 days	Improved semen quality (sperm count, sperm motility, and sperm morphology)	Improving spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis Providing energy source for sperm cells by increasing sorbitol dehydrogenase activity Protecting germ cells against oxidative stress due to antioxidant activity of pinocembrin, pinostrobin, vitamins, and glucose oxidase Improving spermatogenic cells proliferation
Rats [31]	Drinking 5% solution of Palestinian honey for 20 days	Increased relative weight of epididymis and epididymal sperm count Increased SDH and reduced LDH activities
Rats [32]	0, 0.2, 1.2, and 2.4 g/kg BW/day of Malaysian honey for 4 weeks	At 1.2 g/kg BW/day, increased epididymal sperm count
Rats [33]	1.0 mL/100 g BW/day of Gelam honey for 60 days	Improved spermatogenic cells and sperm count and percentage of normal sperm and decreased abnormal sperm
Rats [19]	2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, 10%, and 12.5% of propolis extract for 18 days	At 10%, increased T level, spermatogenesis, and sperm motility	Antiestrogen effect due to flavonoids (kaempferol, quercetin, and isorhamnetin) content
Rabbits [20]	0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.0, and 1.25 g/kg diet of propolis for 94 days	At 1.25 g/kg diet, improved semen quality	Antioxidant properties of the flavonoids
Rabbits [21]	0.5 and 1 g/animal/day of Egyptian propolis for 6 weeks during summer months	At 0.5 g/animal/day, improved T level, semen volume, sperm motility, morphology, and viability traits, as well as seminal plasma fructose levels	Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects
Rabbits [14]	150 mg/kg diet of vitamin E or propolis for 10 consecutive weeks during summer months	Both treatments improved libido, sperm count and viability, seminal plasma fructose and total protein level, and improved plasma antioxidant activity (TAC and MDA) and T level	Antioxidant agent providing protection against lipid peroxidation
Pre-pubertal rabbits [22]	15 mg/kg BW of propolis with/without 200 mg royal jelly + 0.25 mL bee honey	Both treatments accelerated age of puberty and improved libido, ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, sperm motility and morphology, seminal plasma fructose levels, blood plasma T levels, and fertility	Antioxidant agent
Rats [23]	3, 6, and 10 mg/kg BW/day of Brazilian green propolis extract for 56 days	At 6 mg/kg/day, increased sperm production and greater epithelium height of the epididymis initial segment	Protecting sperm DNA fragmentation from thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances
Rats [27]	1 g/kg BW of royal jelly with or without hydrogen peroxide (0.5%) in drinking water for one month	Royal jelly with or without hydrogen peroxide increased testicular weight and the body of epididymis, sperm count, T and glutathione levels, and decreased sperm deformity percentage	Stimulating gonadotropins secretion owing to acetylcholine stimulation Improving spermatogenesis by zinc L-arginine and carnitine amino acid Antioxidant activity of vitamin C, vitamin E, and arginine
Pups [28]	125, 250, and 500 mg/day/kg diet of royal jelly proteins	At 125 and 250 mg/day/kg diet, improved development of testis at neonate period until pubescent, testis weight, diameter of seminiferous tubule, and height of seminiferous epithelium	Antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory activities of amino acids and 10- hydroxy -2- decanoic fatty acid Spermatogenesis stimulating effects of l-arginine and carnitine amino acids
Rabbits [29]	0, 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg BW of Chinese royal jelly	All doses increased total sperm output	Decreasing cellular damage, lipids peroxidation, and DNA fragmentation due to antioxidant activity
Pre-pubertal rabbits [30]	0.25 mL honey, 200 mg royal jelly, and 200 mg royal jelly + 0.25 mL honey	All treatments accelerated puberty, improved ejaculate volume and sperm quality, seminal plasma fructose concentration, T and cholesterol levels, conception rate, and litter size	Antioxidant agent
Sheep [35]	10, 15, and 20 mg/kg diet of apistimul preparation (drone brood) for 95 days	Improved the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the ejaculate Increased the amount of hemoglobin and erythrocytes in the blood	Positive effects of sex hormones and sulfhydryl groups in the drone brood on semen quality variables
Pigs (junior boars) [34]	Parenteral injection with alcohol extracts of the drone brood	Increasing the weight of the seminal glands and epididymis After injection of the drone brood homogenate extract, 33.3% of boars recovered their sexual function in 30 days, while 83.3% of breeders recovered in 2 months
Rabbits [36]	Injection of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 mg/rabbit of bee venom twice weekly for 20 weeks	At all levels, improved libido, sperm concentration, viability T level, and blood biochemical (total protein, albumin, and glucose), as well as antioxidant markers (TAC, GST, and GSH)	Growth promoter Anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and antioxidant activity
Rabbits [18]	0, 100, 200, and 300 mg of bee pollen/kg BW	At 200 mg/kg BW, improved semen quality, fertility rate, and blood biochemicals profile	Antioxidant activity

BW: body weight, DNA: deoxyribonucleic acid, GSH: glutathione, GST: glutathione-S-transferase, g: gram, kDa: kilo dalton, kg: kilogram, LDH: lactate dehydrogenase, MDA: malondialdehyde, mg: milligram, ml: milli, SDH: sorbitol dehydrogenase, SOD: superoxide dismutase, T: testosterone, and TAC: total antioxidant capacity.