From propolis to nanopropolis: An exemplary journey and a paradigm shift of a resinous substance produced by bees

Abstract

Propolis, a natural resinous mixture produced by honey bees is poised with diverse biological activities. Owing to the presence of flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenes, and sesquiterpenes, propolis has garnered versatile applications in pharmaceutical industry. The biopharmaceutical issues associated with propolis often beset its use as being too hydrophobic in nature; it is not absorbed in the body well. To combat the problem, various nanotechnological approaches for the development of novel drug delivery systems are generally applied to improve its bioavailability. This paradigm shift and transition of conventional propolis to nanopropolis are evident from the literature wherein a multitude of studies are available on nanopropolis with improved bioavailability profile. These approaches include preparation of gold nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles, liposomes, liquid crystalline formulations, solid lipid nanoparticles, mesoporous silica nanoparticles, etc. Nanopropolis has further been explored to assess the potential benefits of propolis for the development of futuristic useful products such as sunscreens, creams, mouthwashes, toothpastes, and nutritional supplements with improved solubility, bioavailability, and penetration profiles. However, more high-quality clinical studies assessing the effects of propolis either alone or in combination with synthetic drugs as well as natural products are warranted and its safety needs to be firmly established.

Development, Physicochemical Properties, and Antibacterial Activity of Propolis Microcapsules

“…The minimum particle sizes of nanoparticles prepared using ultrasonication, self-assembly methods, hydrothermal methods, UV irradiation, and microwave irradiation were 94.89, 98.68 nm, 110 nm, 132.9 nm, and 158.6 nm, respectively. This indicates that high-temperature processing will increase the particle size [50]. In the present research, the average particle size of propolis microcapsules was 445.66 ± 16.96 nm, and 50% of the particles were under 200 nm.…”

Propolis-loaded liposomes: characterization and evaluation of the in vitro bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds

“…The amount of PE was calculated based on the total phenolic content (TPC) determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu (FC) method [33]. EE was estimated using equation (1).…”

“…Propolis, a natural resinous beehive product, exhibits diverse biological and pharmacological activities due to the presence of flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenes, sesquiterpene-alcohols, and their derivatives [ 1 ]. Specifically, among flavonoids, the caffeic acid phenyl ester (CAPE), chrysin, galangin, apigenin, quercetin, kaempferol, naringenin, rutin, taxifolin, pinobanksin, and pinocembrin have been reported as the major active components of propolis [ 2 ].…”

New insights of propolis nanoformulation and its therapeutic potential in human diseases

“…However, propolis has shortcomings in bioavailability, solubility, absorption speed, and low concentration. The effectiveness of propolis is less than optimal [ 26 ].…”