Table 5.

Effect of honeybee products on assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs) in males.

Animal Species	Treatment/Honeybee Product	Result	Suggested Mode of Action
Humans [90]	0%, 5%, or 10% of honey as cryoprotectant	At 10%, enhanced post-thawing semen quality	Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of organic acids, vitamins, and phenolic acids Cryo-protectant properties of glucose, fructose, and sucrose, minimizing formation of ice crystals inside the sperm cytoplasm Providing sperm cells with energy (sugars)
Buffalos [94]	1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5% of honey to cooled and frozen tris-based semen extenders	At 1%, improved motility of cooled sperm cells At 2%, improved motility of post-thawing sperm cells
Boars [99]	1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0% of honey to liquid storage semen extender	At 1.5 and 2.0%, improved motility and viability of sperm cells
Bulls [92]	1%, 2.5%, 5%, 10%, and 15% of honey to frozen semen extender	At 1%, increased sperm motility and viability post-chilled, and post-thawed frozen
Bulls [93]	2.5%, 5%, and 10% of honey to frozen semen extender	At 2.5% honey, improved post cryopreservation semen quality (progressive motility, livability, and normal morphology)
Rabbits [96]	0%, 1%, 3%, and 5% of honey to cooled semen extender (cooling at 4 °C for 72 h)	At all concentrations, improved semen quality, acrosomal integrity, and antioxidant status
Sheep [103]	0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2% of royal jelly to liquid storage semen extender	At 0.5 and 1%, improved sperm kinetics and plasma membrane functionality	The cell membrane protective role of essential amino acids and 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities
Buffaloes [105]	0%, 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, and 0.4% of royal jelly to semen freezing extender	At 0.1%, improved sperm viability, plasma membrane, and acrosome integrity
Rabbits [111]	0.8, 1.2, 1.6, and 2.0 mg of propolis ethanolic extract/5 mL of frozen semen extender	At 1.2 and 1.6 mg, maintained semen characteristics	Protective role of chlorogenic acid against lipid peroxidation Antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds such as rosmarinic acid, myricetin, Kaempferol, and apeginin-7-glucoside Antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties of volatiles oil
Sheep [113]	400 and 600 µl of propolis powder/propolis glue compared with synthetic antibiotic	Both treatments increased sperm motility and normality and acrosome integrity Decreased ALT, AST, ALP, and LDH enzymes and bacterial count

ALT: alanine aminotransferase, AST: aspartate aminotransferase, ALP: alkaline phosphatase, h: hours, LDH: lactate dehydrogenase, µl: microliter, mL: milli, TAC: total antioxidant capacity.