The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of seasons on the chemical composition and antibacterial activity of Brazilian red propolis (BRP) and its plant source. BRP was collected from Maceio, ...Alagoas state, north-east of Brazil, during one year. Chemical composition was determined by physicochemical analyses and HPLC while antimicrobial activity was assessed against Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus, Staphylococcus aureus and Actinomyces naeslundii by determining the minimal inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations (MIC and MBC, respectively). The comparative chemical profiles varied quantitatively according to the collection period. Formononetin was the most abundant compound in both propolis and resin, while isoliquiritigenin, (3S)-neovestitol, (3S)-vestitol are suggested to be responsible for antimicrobial activity of Brazilian red propolis. MIC varied from 15.6 to 125 μg/mL, whereas MBC varied from 31.2 to 500 μg/mL. Therefore, season in which propolis and its botanical source are collected indeed influences their chemical compositions, resulting in variations in their antibacterial activity.
The emergence of novel coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2) in 2019 in China marked the third outbreak of a highly pathogenic coronavirus infecting humans. The novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) spread ...worldwide, becoming an emergency of major international concern. However, even after a decade of coronavirus research, there are still no licensed vaccines or therapeutic agents to treat the coronavirus infection. In this context, apitherapy presents as a promising source of pharmacological and nutraceutical agents for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of COVID‐19. For instance, several honeybee products, such as honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, beeswax, and bee venom, have shown potent antiviral activity against pathogens that cause severe respiratory syndromes, including those caused by human coronaviruses. In addition, the benefits of these natural products to the immune system are remarkable, and many of them are involved in the induction of antibody production, maturation of immune cells, and stimulation of the innate and adaptive immune responses. Thus, in the absence of specific antivirals against SARS‐CoV‐2, apitherapy could offer one hope toward mitigating some of the risks associated with COVID‐19.
Honeybees use propolis collected from plants for coating the inner walls of their nest. This substance is also used as a natural antibiotic against microbial pathogens, similarly to many other ...animals exploiting natural products for self-medication. We carried out chemical analyses and laboratory bioassays to test if honeybees use propolis for social medication against their major ectoparasite:
. We found that propolis is applied to brood cells where it can affect the reproducing parasites, with a positive effect on honeybees and a potential impact on
population. We conclude that propolis can be regarded as a natural pesticide used by the honeybee to limit a dangerous parasite. These findings significantly enlarge our understanding of behavioural immunity in animals and may have important implications for the management of the most important threat to honeybees worldwide.
Propolis is used widely in a number of cultures as a folk medicine and is gaining wider recognition for its potential therapeutic use, due to its wide range of biological properties and ...pharmacological activities, especially its anti-inflammatory effects. Despite an increasing number of studies focused on the biological activities of propolis together with its botanical sources, studies on Chinese propolis are insufficient. This study was designed to investigate the anti-inflammatory properties of ethanol extracts from Chinese propolis (EECP) and poplar buds (EEPB) from Populus×canadensis Moench (Salicaceae family).
Phytochemical analysis of EECP and EEPB was performed via total phenolic and flavonoid content measurements followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. DPPH and ABTS free-radical scavenging methods were used to evaluate their anti-oxidant properties. The anti-inflammatory effects of EECP and EEPB were investigated in vitro by evaluating their modulating effects on the key inflammatory cytokines and mediators in LPS/IFN-γ co-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells and by measuring nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation in TNF-α or IL-1β stimulation HEK 293 cells using reporter gene assays. Their effects on acute inflammatory symptoms (LPS-induced endotoxemia and acute pulmonary damage) were also examined in mice.
EECP and EEPB exhibited strong free-radical scavenging activity and significant in vitro anti-inflammatory effects by modulating key inflammatory mediators of mRNA transcription, inhibiting the production of specific inflammatory cytokines, and blocking the activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB. The administration of EECP and EEPB (25 and 100mg/kg) provided significant protective effects by attenuating lung histopathological changes and suppressing the secretion of LPS-stimulated inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10, MCP-1, TNF-α and IL-12p70 production in endotoxemic mice.
The results presented here reveal the potent anti-inflammatory properties of Chinese propolis and poplar buds, and provide biological information for developing suitable substitute(s) for propolis in the prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases.
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Handekzeme bei niederländischen Imkern – eine Querschnittsuntersuchung Oosterhaven, Jart A. F.; Verbist, Julia; Schuttelaar, Marie‐Louise A.
Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft,
February 2019, 2019-Feb, 2019-02-00, 20190201, Letnik:
17, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Zusammenfassung
Hintergrund und Zielsetzung
Studien mit Imkern konzentrierten sich bislang meist auf die Kontaktallergie auf Propolis. Die Gesamtprävalenz des Handekzems (HE) bei Imkern wurde noch ...nicht untersucht. Unser Ziel war es, einen Einblick in die Prävalenz des HE bei niederländischen Imkern und in die Auswirkungen der Imkerei auf das HE (und vice versa) zu gewinnen. Zusätzlich sollten Faktoren, die mit dem HE assoziiert sind, ermittelt werden.
Patienten und Methodik
Wir führten eine Querschnittserhebung anhand einer Online‐Befragung durch. Die niederländischen Imker beantworteten Fragen zu ihren Aktivitäten als Imker, der Prävalenz und Ausprägung des HE, inklusive Schweregrad und Einfluss ihrer Erkrankung auf die Imkerei.
Ergebnisse
833 Fragebögen (12 % der niederländischen Imker) wurden von uns ausgewertet. Die Ein‐Jahres‐Prävalenz des HE lag bei 13,2 % und die Lebenszeitprävalenz bei 20,5 %. Von 28 mit Epikutantest untersuchten Imkern reagierten acht (28,6 %) allergisch auf Propolis. Die einzige mit dem HE assoziierte Variable war die atopische Dermatitis (Odds Ratio 4,53 95 %‐Konfidenzintervall 2,78–7,38). Einer von drei Imkern berichtete, dass das HE durch die Imkerei verursacht wurde oder sich darunter verschlechtert hatte. Dennoch berichteten lediglich 3,8 % davon, ihre Tätigkeit als Imker aufgrund des HE einzuschränken. Der Einfluss des HE auf die Imkerei ist (aus Imkersicht) gering.
Schlussfolgerungen
In dieser Studie mit niederländischen Imkern wurde eine im Vergleich zur Allgemeinbevölkerung höhere Prävalenz des HE beobachtet. Bei der Mehrheit der betroffenen Imker scheint ein HE jedoch kaum Auswirkungen auf die Ausübung der Imkerei zu haben.
Viral outbreaks are a frequent concern for humans. A great variety of drugs has been used to treat viral diseases, which are not always safe and effective and may induce adverse effects, indicating ...the need for new antiviral drugs extracted from natural sources. Propolis is a bee-made product exhibiting many biological properties. An overview of viruses, antiviral immunity, propolis safety and its immunomodulatory and antiviral action is reported, as well as perspectives for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment. PubMed platform was used for data collection, searching for the keywords "propolis", "virus", "antiviral", "antimicrobial" and "coronavirus".
Propolis is safe and exerts antiviral and immunomodulatory activity; however, clinical trials should investigate its effects on individuals with viral diseases, in combination or not with antiviral drugs or vaccines.
Regarding COVID-19, the effects of propolis should be investigated directly on the virus in vitro or on infected individuals alone or in combination with antiviral drugs, due to its immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory action. Propolis administration simultaneously with vaccines should be analyzed, due to its adjuvant properties, to enhance the individuals' immune response. The search for therapeutic targets may be useful to find out how propolis can help to control COVID-19.
Propolis is a resin that is gathered by bees from exudates produced by various plants. Its exact chemical composition depends on the plants available near the hive. Bees use propolis to coat the ...surfaces of the hive, where it acts as an anti-infective. Regardless of the chemical composition of propolis, it is always anti-protozoal, probably because protozoan parasites, particularly
, are widespread in bee populations. The protozoa
and
cause disease in humans and/or animals. The existing drugs for treating these diseases are old and resistance is an increasingly severe problem. The many types of propolis present a rich source of anti-trypanosomal compounds-from a material gathered by bees in an environmentally friendly way. In the current work, red Nigerian propolis from Rivers State, Nigeria was tested against
and
and found to be highly active (EC
1.66 and 4.00 µg/mL, respectively). Four isoflavonoids, vestitol, neovestitol, 7-methylvestitol and medicarpin, were isolated from the propolis. The isolated compounds were also tested against
and
, and vestitol displayed the highest activity at 3.86 and 4.36 µg/mL, respectively. Activities against drug-resistant forms of
and
were similar to those against wild type.
The influences of ultrasound‐assisted, pharmacopeia, and supercritical fluid extraction methods on bioactive compounds and biological activities of propolis were evaluated. Results showed that ...propolis extracted by ultrasound‐assisted method contained more phenolic compounds, and showed the highest total phenolic content (245.84 ± 6.41 mg GAE/g DW), total flavonoids content (198.82 ± 5.74 mg RE/g DW), and stronger in vitro antioxidant activity (DPPH·: 1.03 ± 0.04 mmol Trolox/g DW, ABTS+·: 2.19 ± 0.05 mmol Trolox/g DW, and FRAP: 1.48 ± 0.12 mmol FeSO4/g DW) than those of pharmacopoeia and supercritical fluid methods. A total of 36 phenolic compounds were identified in propolis. Among them, quercetin, quercetin‐3‐methyl‐ether, kaempferol, isorhamnetin, luteolin‐methyl‐ether, and quercetin‐7‐methyl‐ether could only be found in ultrasound‐assisted and pharmacopoeia methods. Moreover, the phenolic compounds had the similar metabolic pathways in rats and were mainly metabolized by sulfation and glucuronidation pathways. Additionally, ultrasonic‐treated propolis have good in vivo antioxidant activity and could repair D‐galactose‐induced oxidative damage in rats. Therefore, ultrasound‐assisted method could replace pharmacopeia method to be considered as bioactive compounds extraction from propolis, taking into consideration of yield, short extraction time, and high antioxidant activity.
The chemotherapy of schistosomiasis remains centered in the use of praziquantel, however, there has been growing resistant parasites to this drug. Thus, the aim of this work was to evaluate in vitro ...schistosomicidal activity of the hexanes/dichloromethane 1 : 1 extract of Brazilian green propolis (Pex), as well as its major isolated compounds artepillin C, caffeic acid, coumaric acid and drupanin against Schistosoma mansoni. The Pex was active by displaying an IC50 value of 36.60 (26.26–51.13) μg mL−1 at 72 h against adult worms of S. mansoni. The major isolated compounds were inactive with IC50 values >100 μM, however, the combination of the isolated compounds (CM) in the same range found in the extract was active with an IC50 value of 41.17 (39.89–42.46) μg mL−1 at 72 h. Pex and CM induced alteration in the tegument of S. mansoni, and caffeic acid caused alteration in egg's maturation. Pex displayed in vitro activity against adult worms’ and eggs’ viability of S. mansoni, which opens new perspectives to better understand the synergistic and/or additive effects promoted by both Pex extract and CM against schistosomiasis features.
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