Characteristics, chemical compositions and biological activities of propolis from Al-Bahah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Propolis has been used to treat several diseases since ancient times, and is an important source of bioactive natural compounds and drug derivatives. These properties have kept the interest of investigators around the world, leading to the investigation of the chemical and biological properties and application of propolis. In this report, the chemical constituents that are responsible for the anticancer activities of propolis were analyzed. The propolis was sourced from Al-Baha in the southern part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Standard protocols for chemical fractionation and bioactivity-guided chemical analysis were used to identify the bio-active ethyl acetate fraction. The extraction was performed in methanol and then analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The major compounds are triterpenoids, with a relative concentration of 74.0%; steroids, with a relative concentration of 9.8%; and diterpenoids, with a relative concentration of 7.9%. The biological activity was characterized using different approaches and cell-based assays. Propolis was found to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells in a concentration-dependent manner through apoptosis. Immunofluorescence staining with anti-α-tubulin antibodies and cell cycle analysis indicated that tubulin and/or microtubules are the cellular targets of the L-acetate fraction. This study demonstrates the importance of Saudi propolis as anti-cancer drug candidates.

Chemical composition and biological properties of aromatic compounds in honey: An overview

“…Different community used honey in distinct purpose (Pearce, ). Researchers around the world have reported the antibacterial, antifungal, cytostatic, wound healing, antitumor, and anti‐inflammatory properties of honeybee products (Afroz, Tanvir, Zheng, & Little, ; Devasvaran & Yong, ; Elnakady et al, ; Khorasani, Jarrahi, & Jarrahi, ; Mcloone, Oluwadun, Warnock, & Fyfe, ; Meo, Al‐Asiri, Mahesar, & Ansari, ; Pasupuleti, Sammugam, Ramesh, & Hua, ; Takzaree, Hadjiakhondi, Hassanzadeh, Rouini, & Manayi, ). The ancient Assyrians and Chinese used honey for wounds, skin diseases, and cataract.…”

Chemopreventive Effects of Propolis in the MNU-Induced Rat Mammary Tumor Model

“…New approaches to improve tolerance of the cancer chemotherapy are urgently needed and the present topic focuses on this issue. Over the time, the biological properties of propolis collected from different areas of the world to exert antiproliferative and cytotoxic potential toward tumor cells were evaluated and observed [10,13,16,20,36]. A recent study sustains that the biological activity of propolis is positively influenced by the presence of flavonoids and phenolic acids in it [29].…”

“…Propolis is generally composed of 50% to 60% resins and vegetable balsam, 30% to 40% bee wax, 5% to 10% essential and aromatic oils, 5% pollen grains, and 5% other substances as micronutrients or small amounts of vitamins B1, B2, B6, C, and E [12]. In these 5% of other substances, more than 300 bioactive molecules are present, between them being phenolic acids, flavonoids, diterpenoids, and triterpenoids [13]. The European propolis contains predominantly phenolic compounds, including several flavonoids [14].…”

Propolis Diterpenes as a Remarkable Bio-Source for Drug Discovery Development: A Review

“…MTT cell viability assay exhibits that EA fraction have cytotoxic activity against Jurkat T-cells, A549 lung carcinoma, HepG2 liver cancerous, and SW756 cervix carcinoma cell lines with IC 50s in the range 1.8–6.3 μg/mL. Exploiting fluorescence microscope techniques, tubulins are recognized as the target for apoptotic properties of the propolis EA fraction, with high percentage content of terpenoids [ 93 ].…”