Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Propolis is a beehive product prepared by bees of the Apis mellifera species, using resinous
substances collected from various plants. These substances are mixed with β-glycosidase
enzyme of their saliva, partially digested and added to bee wax to form the final product. In the
present study, it was evaluated the antimicrobial activity against multi-resistant microorganisms
and the anti-inflammatory activity, assessed by the effect on the hyaluronidase enzyme, of
propolis samples from Portugal. Simultaneously, it was studied the effect of extraction solvents
on this biological activities. It was chosen the hydro-alcoholic extract because this was the
most effective for extracting phenolic compounds. The antimicrobial activity was accessed in
Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
Escherichia coli) and yeasts (Candida albicans), isolated from different biological fluids and the
results were then compared with the obtained for reference microorganisms. Regarding the
pollen profiles, marked differences were found among the samples from the different regions
under study. In the propolis from Bragança the dominant pollen was Erica sp., whereas the
dominant species in Coimbra and Beja were Populus tremula and Eucalyptus sp., respectively.
The propolis from Bragança was the one that possessed the highest polyphenols’ content.
It was verified that all the extracts inhibited the hyaluronidase enzyme in a dose-dependent
manner. The propolis that showed higher inhibitory activity was the one from Bragança and
the product from Beja was the less effective. Despite the differences amongst the polyphenols
concentrations, the anti-inflammatory activity of the samples did not differ significantly,
suggesting that polyphenols are not the only factor responsible for the bioactive properties
of this beehive product. Concerning the antimicrobial activity, Candida albicans was the
most resistant and Staphylococcus aureus the most sensitive. Propolis showed greater activity
against Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative ones, something that may be explained by
structural differences of the cell wall of these two types of bacteria. In addition, the reference
microorganisms were more sensitive than the ones isolated from biological fluids. This study
suggests that the simultaneous use of propolis and antibiotics may reduce the acquisition of
resistances and consequently avoid the use of more powerful therapies, even though further
studies are required.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Pereira, Ana Paula; Dias, Luís Guimarães; Silva, João Carlos; Estevinho, Leticia M. (2012). Propolis: antimicrobial activity, phenolic compounds and role in the inflammation. In II International Symposium on Bee Products. Annual Meeting of the International Honey Comission. Bragança. ISBN 987-972-745-140-1