Propolis Contra Pharmacological Interventions in Bees

In addition to wax, propolis is a mixture of resins, terpenes, and etheric and aromatic oils. This composition supports its very strong biochemical activity that affects bee health. Bee colonies are externally exposed to the activity of other different pharmacologically active substances and toxic agents used in beekeeping procedures, veterinary interventions, and the environment. Even if free form common diseases, they may suffer from parasites or toxins. In any such case the abundance and variety of honeyflow, besides proper therapy, is crucial for the maintenance of bee health. Propolis itself cannot be considered as food but can be considered as micro-nutrients for bees. This is due to the fact that some of its compounds may penetrate different bee products, and this way be consumed by bees and their larvae, while stored in the hive. This perspective shows propolis as natural agent reducing the toxicity of pyrethroid acaricides, stimulating production of detoxification enzymes, enhancing the action of antibiotics, and increasing expression of genes that encode proteins responsible for detoxication. The aim of this review is to summarize current data on the possible impact on veterinary public health of the introduction into propolis of residues of pharmacological agents approved in the EU for use in the treatment of bee colonies and their environment.     

Effect of Biodegradable Coatings on the Growth of Aspergillus flavus In Vitro,on Maize Grains,and on the Quality of Tortillas during Storage

The fungus Aspergillus flavus causes serious damage to maize grains and its by-products, such as tortilla. Currently, animal and plant derivatives, such as chitosan and propolis, and plant extract residues, respectively, are employed as alternatives of synthetic fungicides. The objective of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of several formulations based on propolis-chitosan-pine resin extract on the in vitro growth of A. flavus, the growth of maize grain plantlets and the quality of stored tortillas at 4 and 28 °C. The most outstanding formulation was that based on 59.7% chitosan + 20% propolis nanoparticles + 20% pine resin extract nanoparticles; since the in vitro conidia germination of A. flavus did not occur, disease incidence on grains was 25–30% and in tortillas, 0% infection was recorded, along with low aflatoxin production (1.0 ppb). The grain germination and seedling growth were markedly reduced by the nanocoating application. The percentage weight loss and color of tortillas were more affected by this coating compared to the control, and the rollability fell within the scale of non-ruptured at 4 °C and partially ruptured at 28 °C. The next step is to evaluate the toxicity of this formulation.     

Molecular Insights into the Antistress Potentials of Brazilian Green Propolis Extract and Its Constituent Artepillin C

Propolis, also known as bee-glue, is a resinous substance produced by honeybees from materials collected from plants they visit. It contains mixtures of wax and bee enzymes and is used by bees as a building material in their hives and by humans for different purposes in traditional healthcare practices. Although the composition of propolis has been shown to depend on its geographic location, climatic zone, and local flora; two largely studied types of propolis: (i) New Zealand and (ii) Brazilian green propolis have been shown to possess Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester (CAPE) and Artepillin C (ARC) as the main bioactive constituents, respectively. We have earlier reported that CAPE and ARC possess anticancer activities, mediated by abrogation of mortalin-p53 complex and reactivation of p53 tumor suppressor function. Like CAPE, Artepillin C (ARC) and the supercritical extract of green propolis (GPSE) showed potent anticancer activity. In this study, we recruited low doses of GPSE and ARC (that did not affect either cancer cell proliferation or migration) to investigate their antistress potential using in vitro cell based assays. We report that both GPSE and ARC have the capability to disaggregate metal- and heat-induced aggregated proteins. Metal-induced aggregation of GFP was reduced by fourfold in GPSE- as well as ARC-treated cells. Similarly, whereas heat-induced misfolding of luciferase protein showed 80% loss of activity, the cells treated with either GPSE or ARC showed 60–80% recovery. Furthermore, we demonstrate their pro-hypoxia (marked by the upregulation of HIF-1α) and neuro-differentiation (marked by differentiation morphology and upregulation of expression of GFAP, β-tubulin III, and MAP2). Both GPSE and ARC also offered significant protection against oxidative stress and, hence, may be useful in the treatment of old age-related brain pathologies.     

超高效液相色谱法同时测定蜂胶中的12种活性成分

采用超高效液相色谱法同时测定了蜂胶中类黄酮、阿魏酸、咖啡酸苯乙酯等12种活性成分。蜂胶样品用甲醇稀释,超声波提取,样液过滤后以Acquity BEH C18柱(100 mm×2.1 mm,1.7 μm)为分离柱,0.4%磷酸水溶液和甲醇为流动相,梯度洗脱,采用二极管阵列检测器检测。整个分离过程在9.5 min内完成。以加标蜂胶样品做添加回收测定,12种化合物的回收率为90.1%～104.3%,相对标准偏差为2.12%～4.90%。该方法为评价蜂胶质量提供了一种新的检测方法,已应用于实际蜂胶样品的测定。     

Promising Antimicrobial Properties of Bioactive Compounds from Different Honeybee Products

Bee products have been known for centuries for their versatile healing properties. In recent decades they have become the subject of documented scientific research. This review aims to present and compare the impact of bee products and their components as antimicrobial agents. Honey, propolis, royal jelly and bee venom are bee products that have antibacterial properties. Sensitivity of bacteria to these products varies considerably between products and varieties of the same product depending on their origin. According to the type of bee product, different degrees of activity were observed against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, yeasts, molds and dermatophytes, as well as biofilm-forming microorganisms. Pseudomonas aeruginosa turned out to be the most resistant to bee products. An analysis of average minimum inhibitory concentration values for bee products showed that bee venom has the strongest bacterial effectiveness, while royal jelly showed the weakest antibacterial activity. The most challenging problems associated with using bee products for medical purposes are dosage and safety. The complexity and variability in composition of these products raise the need for their standardization before safe and predictable clinical uses can be achieved.     

Activity of Compounds from Temperate Propolis against Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania mexicana

Ethanolic extracts of samples of temperate zone propolis, four from the UK and one from Poland, were tested against three Trypanosoma brucei strains and displayed EC₅₀ values < 20 µg/mL. The extracts were fractionated, from which 12 compounds and one two-component mixture were isolated, and characterized by NMR and high-resolution mass spectrometry, as 3-acetoxypinobanksin, tectochrysin, kaempferol, pinocembrin, 4′-methoxykaempferol, galangin, chrysin, apigenin, pinostrobin, cinnamic acid, coumaric acid, cinnamyl ester/coumaric acid benzyl ester (mixture), 4′,7-dimethoxykaempferol, and naringenin 4′,7-dimethyl ether. The isolated compounds were tested against drug-sensitive and drug-resistant strains of T. brucei and Leishmania mexicana, with the highest activities ≤ 15 µM. The most active compounds against T. brucei were naringenin 4′,7 dimethyl ether and 4′methoxy kaempferol with activity of 15–20 µM against the three T. brucei strains. The most active compounds against L. mexicana were 4′,7-dimethoxykaempferol and the coumaric acid ester mixture, with EC₅₀ values of 12.9 ± 3.7 µM and 13.1 ± 1.0 µM. No loss of activity was found with the diamidine- and arsenical-resistant or phenanthridine-resistant T. brucei strains, or the miltefosine-resistant L. mexicana strain; no clear structure activity relationship was observed for the isolated compounds. Temperate propolis yields multiple compounds with anti-kinetoplastid activity.     

Determination of Phenolic Compounds in Various Propolis Samples Collected from an African and an Asian Region and Their Impact on Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities

The biological activities of propolis samples are the result of many bioactive compounds present in the propolis. The aim of the present study was to determine the various chemical compounds of some selected propolis samples collected from Palestine and Morocco by the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography–Photodiode Array Detection (HPLC-PDA) method, as well as the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of this bee product. The chemical analysis of propolis samples by HPLC-PDA shows the cinnamic acid content in the Palestinian sample is higher compared to that in Moroccan propolis. The results of antioxidant activity demonstrated an important free radical scavenging activity (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH); 2,2′-azino-bis 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) and reducing power assays) with EC₅₀ values ranging between 0.02 ± 0.001 and 0.14 ± 0.01 mg/mL. Additionally, all tested propolis samples possessed a moderate antibacterial activity against bacterial strains. Notably, Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) values ranged from 0.31 to 2.50 mg/mL for Gram-negative bacterial strains and from 0.09 to 0.125 mg/mL for Gram-positive bacterial strains. The S2 sample from Morocco and the S4 sample from Palestine had the highest content of polyphenol level. Thus, the strong antioxidant and antibacterial properties were apparently due to the high total phenolic and flavone/flavonol contents in the samples. As a conclusion, the activities of propolis samples collected from both countries are similar, while the cinnamic acid in the Palestinian samples was more than that of the Moroccan samples.     

Chemical Composition of Volatile Compounds in Apis mellifera Propolis from the Northeast Region of Pará State,Brazil

Propolis is a balsamic product obtained from vegetable resins by exotic Africanized bees Apis mellifera L., transported and processed by them, originating from the activity that explores and maintains these individuals. Because of its vegetable and natural origins, propolis is a complex mixture of different compound classes; among them are the volatile compounds present in the aroma. In this sense, in the present study we evaluated the volatile fraction of propolis present in the aroma obtained by distillation and simultaneous extraction, and its chemical composition was determined using coupled gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and flame ionization detection. The majority of compounds were sesquiterpene and hydrocarbons, comprising 8.2–22.19% α-copaene and 6.2–21.7% β-caryophyllene, with additional compounds identified in greater concentrations. Multivariate analysis showed that samples collected from one region may have different chemical compositions, which may be related to the location of the resin’s production. This may be related to other bee products.     

用分光光度法测定蜂胶超临界CO2萃取物中总黄酮含量

利用碱性条件下黄酮与Al3 生成粉红色络合物在可见光区510 nm处有最大吸收的特性,以芦丁为标样,采用分光光度法测定蜂胶超临界CO2萃取物中总黄酮含量,并与HPLC标准方法测定结果进行比较,发现各平行样的测定结果基本一致,最大偏差为268.38 mg/100 g,最小偏差为52.77 mg/100 g.该法简便快捷,结果相对准确,可作为蜂胶超临界CO2萃取物中总黄酮含量快速评估的一种方法.     

Extracts from European Propolises as Potent Tyrosinase Inhibitors

Tyrosinase is a key enzyme in the melanogenesis pathway. Melanin, the product of this process, is the main pigment of the human skin and a major protection factor against harmful ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Increased melanin synthesis due to tyrosinase hyperactivity can cause hyperpigmentation disorders, which in consequence causes freckles, age spots, melasma, or postinflammatory hyperpigmentation. Tyrosinase overproduction and hyperactivity are triggered by the ageing processes and skin inflammation as a result of oxidative stress. Therefore, the control of tyrosinase activity is the main goal of the prevention and treatment of pigmentation disorders. Natural products, especially propolis, according to their phytochemical profile abundant in polyphenols, is a very rich resource of new potential tyrosinase inhibitors. Therefore, this study focused on the assessment of the tyrosinase inhibitory potential of six extracts obtained from the European propolis samples of various origins. The results showed the potent inhibitory activity of all tested propolis extracts towards commercially available mushroom tyrosinase. The four most active propolis extracts showed inhibitory activity in the range of 86.66–93.25%. Apart from the evaluation of the tyrosinase inhibition, the performed research included UHPLC–DAD–MS/MS (ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and tandem mass spectrometry) phytochemical profiling as well as antioxidant activity assessment using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and the 2,2”-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfuric acid (ABTS) radical scavenging tests. Moreover, statistical analysis was used to correlate the tyrosinase inhibitory and antioxidant activities of propolis extracts with their phytochemical composition. To summarise, the results of our research showed that tested propolis extracts could be used for skin cosmeceutical and medical applications.