Recebido em 22/1/01; aceito em 25/7/01 PROPOLIS: 100 YEARS OF RESEARCH AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES. Propolis is a multifunctional material used by bees in the construction and maintenance of their hives. The chemical composition and pharmacological properties have been studied for centuries. Today they represent an important raw material for many health products and constitute a new interdisciplinary area for research. Among others they show important antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities and various pharmacological properties. This paper presents an overview of the scientific literature and patents concerning propolis.Keywords: propolis; patents; chemical composition; biological activity. INTRODUÇÃOAo longo da história, o homem apreendeu a utilizar os produtos naturais na medicina. Uma revisão recente sobre esse assunto foi apresentada em Química Nova por Barreiro 1 . Das várias formas de utilização destacam-se as plantas brutas (ex.: ervas) além das tradicionais preparações Galênicas (ex.: extratos). Um dos muitos produtos naturais utilizados durante séculos pela humanidade tem sido a própolis (CAS No. 9009-62-5) administrada sob diversas formas. Seu emprego já era descrito pelos assírios, gregos, romanos, incas e egípcios. No antigo Egito (1700 A.C.; "cera negra") era utilizada como um dos materiais para embalsamar os mortos.A própolis é uma mistura complexa, formada por material resinoso e balsâmico coletada pelas abelhas dos ramos, flores, pólen, brotos e exsudados de árvores; além desses, na colméia as abelhas adicionam secreções salivares 2-5 . Vários trabalhos têm sido publicados divulgando e revisando as propriedades biológicas da própolis como, por exemplo, as antimicrobiana, antifúngica, antiprotozoária, antioxidante e antiviral 4-6 . Na África do Sul, na guerra ao final do século XIX, foi amplamente utilizada devido às suas propriedades cicatrizantes 5 e na segunda guerra mundial foi empregada em várias clínicas soviéticas 7 . Na antiga URSS, a própolis mereceu especial atenção em medicina humana e veterinária, com aplicações inclusive no tratamento da tuberculose, observando-se a regressão dos problemas pulmonares e recuperação do apetite 8 .Os gregos, entre os quais Hipócrates, a adotaram como cicratizante interno e externo. Plínio, historiador romano, refere-se à própolis como medicamento capaz de reduzir inchaços e aliviar dores 7 . O termo própolis já era descrito no século XVI na França 5 e, em 1908 surgiu o primeiro trabalho científico 9 sobre suas propriedades químicas e "composição", indexado no Chemical Abstracts (referência n° 192). Em 1968 surgiu no Chemical Abstracts o resumo da primeira patente utilizando a própolis 10 (Romena, para a produção de loções para banho).Historicamente o primeiro trabalho 9 (indexado pelo Chemical Abstracts) sobre a própolis foi publicado 10 anos depois que o professor Heinrich Dresser da Bayer, proclamou o surgimento de uma milagrosa droga batizada como heroína; 5 anos depois do surgimento do primeiro barbitúrico e 14 anos antes do descobrimento da vitamina D, ...

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Aims:The chemical composition of ethanol extracts from a Brazilian (Et-Bra) and a Bulgarian (Et-Blg) propolis, and their activity against the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, several fungi and bacteria species were determined. Methods and Results: The chemical composition was determined by high temperature high resolution gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Microbiological activity was assayed in vitro against T. cruzi, Candida albicans, Sporothrix schenckii, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus. Conclusions: Et-Bra and Et-Blg, although with totally distinct compositions, were active against T. cruzi and the three species of fungi. Et-Blg was more effective than Et-Bra against bacteria, particularly N. meningitidis and Strep. pneumoniae. Significance and Impact of the Study: Although with different classes of components, both propolis extracts showed microbicidal activity. For the bactericidal activity it was possible to establish a positive correlation with the high content of flavonoids of the Bulgarian extract.

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An indoor air quality survey was conducted on selected floors in an office building in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The sampling sites comprised four offices located along the same vertical column of the building. Measurements were made on alternate days at the same time of day during working hours. Indoor and outdoor samples were collected for volatile organic compounds (VOC), formaldehyde, total suspended particles (TSP), nicotine, and ultraviolet respirable suspended particles (UV-RSP). Compared with formaldehyde, acetaldehyde was found in higher concentrations outdoors because of the use of ethanol or ethanol/gasoline blends as alternative fuels for automobiles in Brazil. The TVOC concentration ranged from 304.3 to 1679.9 μg/m3 indoors and 22 to 643.2 μg/m3 outdoors. The indoor level of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) was especially high in the 13th floor office. A minor contribution from environmental tobacco smoke was found. TSP values exceed the Brazilian Legislation (80 μg/m3) in both outdoor and indoor air in the office located near the street traffic. For all pollutants evaluated I/O ratios appeared to be higher in offices located on the top of the building. The characterization of indoor air pollutants allowed the suggestion of several remediation measures to improve air quality in the offices.

[1] Cloud water, rainwater, and aerosol particles were collected in Puerto Rico from December 2004 to March 2007 in order to investigate their chemical composition, relation to sources, and removal processes. The species analyzed were inorganic ions, metals, total and dissolved organic carbon (TOC, DOC), total nitrogen (TN), and organic acids. For all samples, the dominant species were marine (Na + , Cl − ), representing about 50%-65% of total content. Non-sea-salt fraction was dominated by SO 4 2− (17%-25%), followed by water-soluble organic (2%-8%) and total nitrogen (2% -6%) compounds. Organic acids represented contributions to the organic fraction in cloud water of 20% and 6% for aerosol particles. Inorganic species were predominant in total nitrogen portion. The chemical composition of cloud water, rainwater, and aerosol particles were observed to be sensitive to transport patterns. Air masses from northwest Africa showed the highest concentrations of nss-Ca 2+ , Fe, and Al, suggesting a crustal origin. The pH values for cloud water and rainwater observed under this transport pattern were higher than background conditions, probably due to the alkalinity associated with nss-Ca 2+ . The highest concentrations of Cl − and SO 4 2− , with lower pH, were measured during periods of influence from Soufriere Hills volcano eruptions, most likely due to emitted SO 2 and HCl. Air masses from North America had an anthropogenic influence, where levels of nss-SO 4 2− , TOC, and TN were higher (∼4 times) than in clean air masses. These results suggest that long-range transport could be an extra source of metals and organic/nitrogen species to the Caribbean region ecosystems.