Abstract

Pollen has been widely known to have beneficial properties for humans, including fighting harmful microorganisms. On the other hand, bacterial resistance is an obvious global problem that has increased over the years. For this reason, the study of the antimicrobial properties of substances such as pollen could play an important role in this area. The present work focused on evaluating the antimocrobial effect of pollen collected by five bee species (Melipona becheii, Melipona solani, Scaptotrigona mexicana, Scaptotrigona pectoralis and Tetragonisca angustula) from the Soconusco (in Chiapas, Mexico) against  methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Four types of solvents were tested (isopropanol, acetonitrile, methanol, and water). The compounds were separated and identified by High Performance Liquid Chromatography. The inhibition study was done by microdilution and MCI was determined. The pollen structures were analyzed by microscopy. Among the compounds detected with greatest abundance are: chrysin, riboflavin, myricetin and nordihydroguayaretic acid stand out. The structure of pollen was studied by microscopy. The results show little antimicrobial effectiveness in all extracts. However, a first approximation to the chemical profile of pollen from Soconusco is achieved, which is important since there are not many reports in this regard.

Key words: Pollen, microbial inhibition, Soconusco, chemical profile, native bee, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).