Monday, May 15, 2006

Bioactive Constituents of Brazilian Red Propolis

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 5/3/2006

In a new propolis type, red Brazilian propolis, 14 compounds were identified (six of them new for propolis), among them simple phenolics, triterepenoids, isoflavonoids, prenylated benzophenones and a naphthoquinone epoxide (isolated for the first time from a natural source). Three of the major components demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity, and two (obtained as inseparable mixture) possessed radical scavenging activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)…

In this study, we report our results on antibacterial and antioxidant activity of chemical constituents of red Brazilian propolis…

The identification of new propolis constituents in red Brazilian propolis, most of them having antibacterial, antimycotic and antiradical activities, is a further confirmation of the fact that propolis, independently of its plant source and chemical composition, always possesses antimicrobial and antioxidant activity.

This is due to the role that propolis plays in the hive: it is the ‘chemical weapon’ of bees against pathogen microorganisms and the elements of weather. However, in different propolis types, different chemical constituents are responsible for the valuable activities (27). The results obtained demonstrate once again that propolis remains a fascinating subject for further studies and application to CAM.

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