During the process of beeswax recycling, many industrial derivatives are obtained. These matrices may have an interesting healthy and commercial potential but to date they have not been properly studied. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the proximal and phytochemical composition, the antioxidant capacity and cytotoxic effects of two by-products from beeswax recycling process named MUD 1 and MUD 2 on liver hepatocellular carcinoma. Our results showed that MUD 1 presented the highest (P < .05) fiber, protein, carbohydrate, polyphenol and flavonoid concentration, as well as the highest (P < .05) total antioxidant capacity than the MUD 2 samples. MUD1 exerted also anticancer activity on HepG2 cells, by reducing cellular viability, increasing intracellular ROS levels and affecting mitochondrial functionality in a dose-dependent manner.

We showed for the first time that by-products from beeswax recycling process can represent a rich source of phytochemicals with high total antioxidant capacity and anticancer activity; however, further researches are necessary to evaluate their potentiality for human health by in vivo studies.

在蜂蜡回收过程中，获得了许多工业衍生物。这些基质可能具有令人感兴趣的健康和商业潜力，但迄今为止，尚未对其进行适当的研究。本工作的目的是评估蜂蜡回收过程的两种副产物MUD 1和MUD 2对肝癌的近端和植物化学组成，抗氧化能力和细胞毒性作用。我们的结果表明，MUD 1的 纤维，蛋白质，碳水化合物，多酚和类黄酮的浓度最高（P <.05），而最高（P <.05）的总抗氧化能力高于MUD 2样品。MUD1还通过降低细胞生存力，增加细胞内ROS水平并以剂量依赖的方式影响线粒体功能，从而对HepG2细胞发挥抗癌活性。

我们首次证明了蜂蜡回收过程中产生的副产物可以代表具有高总抗氧化能力和抗癌活性的丰富植物化学物质。但是，有必要进行进一步的研究，以通过体内研究评估其对人类健康的潜力。