Correlation between total phenolic and flavonoid contents and biological activities of 12 ethanolic extracts of Iranian propolis

Abstract

Propolis is a resinous substance produced by honey bees that is very popular as a natural remedy in traditional medicine. The current research is the first study on the biological properties of ethanolic extracts of propolis (EEP) from several different regions (12) of Iran. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents (TPC and TFC) of Iranian EEPs were variable between 26.59-221.38 mg GAE/g EEP and 4.8-100.03 mg QE/g EEP. The DPPH scavenging assay showed all the studied EEP samples, except for the sample with the lowest TPC and TFC (P6), have suitable antioxidant activity. All the EEPs inhibited both cholinesterase enzymes (acetylcholinesterase: AChE, butyrylcholinesterase: BuChE) but most of them exhibited a distinct selectivity over BuChE.Evaluation of the antibacterial activity of the EEP samples using four pathogenic bacteria (B. cereus, S. aureus, A. baumannii, and P. aeruginosa) demonstrated that the antibacterial properties of propolis are more effective on the gram-positive bacterium.Spearman correlation analysis showed a strong positive correlation between TPC and TFC of the Iranian EEPs and their antioxidant, anticholinesterase, and antibacterial activities. Considering that there is ample evidence of anticholinesterase activity of flavonoids and a significant correlation between the anticholinesterase activity of the studied Iranian EEPs and their total flavonoid content was observed, the interaction of 17 well-known propolis flavonoids with AChE and BuChE was explored using molecular docking. The results indicated that all the flavonoids interact with the active site gorge of both enzymes with high affinity. Summing up, the obtained results suggest that Iranian propolis possesses great potential for further studies.

Comparison of the Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Properties of Propolis from Urban Apiaries

“…Antioxidants contained in propolis may protect against these diseases [ 29 , 30 ]. It has been shown that the high content of some flavonoids, such as quercetin, kaempferol, and galangin, affects the high antioxidant activity of propolis extracts [ 31 , 32 ]. The antioxidant capacity of flavonoids is mainly related to their chemical structure and, as with phenolic acids, is based on the O-H bond dissociation energy value [ 33 ].…”

The evaluation of L‐arginine solution as a solvent for propolis extraction: The phenolic profile, antioxidant, antibacterial activity, and in vitro bioaccessibility

“…( 2021 ) reported that TPC and TFC values of Chinese propolis collected from five regions was ranged from 72.02 to 155.95 mg GAE/g, and 129.68 to 412.83 mg QE/g of ethanolic extracts, respectively. Whereas Iranian propolis samples showed TPC and TFC values ranged from 26.59 to 221.38 mg GAE/g and from 4.8 to 100.03 mg QE per g of ethanolic extract, respectively (Hafshejani et al., 2023 ).…”

“…The total phenolic content (TPC) and the total flavonoid content (TFC) of PEs are given in (Hafshejani et al, 2023).…”

“…Propolis is a bee product that possesses a wide range of biological and pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiparasitic activities, anti‐inflammatory effects, immunomodulatory actions, as well as antitumor, anticancer, antiulcer, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective properties. (de L. Paula et al., 2021 ; Dos Santos et al., 2022 ; Hafshejani et al., 2023 ; Sagdic et al., 2007 ).…”

Synthesis of optimized propolis solid lipid nanoparticles with desirable antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-cancer properties

“…This difference may be attributed to the elimination of certain phenolic and flavonoid compounds during the nano-forming process. Hafshejani et al 45 reported that when comparing propolis collected from different regions of Iran, the propolis collected from Binalood Mountain has the highest amount of phenol and flavonoid compounds.…”