Healing Potential of Propolis in Skin Wounds Evidenced by Clinical Studies

Abstract

Propolis has been used since ancient times for the treatment of skin diseases and, currently, its pharmacological potential for healing and repairing various types of wounds is widely cited in the literature. The healing properties of propolis are mainly attributed to its composition which is rich in phenolic compounds, and propolis has aroused the interest of the pharmaceutical industry as a low-cost product as compared with other treatments and medications; however, most of the published data refer to its effects in vitro and in vivo and, so far, few clinical studies have been carried out proving its therapeutic efficacy. In this article, we aimed to review clinical trail data published in Portuguese, Spanish, and English, in Scielo, PubMed, Google Scholar, Medline, and Lilacs between 1990 and 2021 on the clinical use of propolis for skin ulcers. The potential of propolis as an alternative healing treatment for skin wounds such as diabetic, venous, and surgical wounds, as well as wounds caused by burns, etc., is mainly due to its evidenced properties such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and angiogenesis promoter effects. However, there is a need to standardize the type of administration and the concentration of propolis for each type of wound. Furthermore, further clinical studies are essential to add information about propolis safety and for obtaining the best possible therapeutic benefits from its use.

Honey-Propolis-Engineered Collagen Peptides as Promising Wound-Healing Matrix in Mouse Model

“…This could be explained by the fact that HPW treatment stimulated the polarized repair mechanism via the proliferation of the dermal-cell loading of the extracellular matrix and the inhibition of infiltrated cells. Reports confirmed that cellular granulation inhibited the tissue repair and healing process via the activation of granulation markers (hexoseamine and melondialdehyde) [ 39 ]. Our results apparently assured that CHDs-HPW reciprocally regulated such markers in the wound site, indicating their effectiveness as a wound-healing approach.…”

“…Growth factors play a key role in the wound-healing process. The expression of growth factors attracts fibroblasts to the wound site and produces collagen for tissue repair in the initial period of the wound [ 39 , 40 ]. In this study, HPW upregulated growth factors including VEGF, EGF, and TGF-β.…”

Honey and propolis for wound healing

“…12 Rather than it has durable adhesive characteristics for skin graft fixation. 13 Propolis is collected directly by honey bee-workers from trees, shrubs and plants, then it is prepared resinous substance with very wide list of biological activities 14 {e.g., antibacterial 5,15 immunomodulatory. 16 Apitherapeutic use of honey was used in wound dressing topically as it is.…”

Comparative Study of Antiviral, Cytotoxic, Antioxidant Activities, Total Phenolic Profile and Chemical Content of Propolis Samples in Different Colors from Turkiye

“…It has wide-spectrum biological effects due to its rich chemical and mineral content. Studies have shown that it has antibacterial, antioxidant [ 13 ], antiviral [ 10 ], antitumor [ 14 ], immunomodulatory [ 15 ], anti-inflammatory [ 16 ], hepatoprotective [ 17 ], cardioprotective [ 18 ], neuroprotective [ 19 ], antidiabetic [ 20 ], regenerative [ 21 ], anesthetic [ 22 ], antiallergic [ 23 ] and biological effects. Parallel to these activities, its effects on inflammatory diseases such as gingivitis, osteoarthritis, mastitis, rhinitis and asthma were also investigated [ 24 ].…”