Propolis and Its Potential to Treat Gastrointestinal Disorders

Abstract

There are a number of disorders that affect the gastrointestinal tract. Such disorders have become a global emerging disease with a high incidence and prevalence rates worldwide. Inflammatory and ulcerative processes of the stomach or intestines, such as gastritis, ulcers, colitis, and mucositis, afflict a significant proportion of people throughout the world. The role of herbal-derived medicines has been extensively explored in order to develop new effective and safe strategies to improve the available gastrointestinal therapies that are currently used in the clinical practice. Studies on the efficacy of propolis (a unique resinous aromatic substance produced by honeybees from different types of species of plants) are promising and propolis has been effective in the treatment of several pathological conditions. This review, therefore, summarizes and critiques the contents of some relevant published scientific papers (including those related to clinical trials) in order to demonstrate the therapeutic value of propolis and its active compounds in the treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal diseases.

Galangin Protects against Symptoms of Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Acute Colitis by Activating Autophagy and Modulating the Gut Microbiota

“…[42]. These results are in line with previous findings from other groups that assessed the gastrointestinal protective effects of bee propolis and galangal [43]. SCFAs are known energy sources for gut microbes, as well as for colonic epithelial cells, both of which play key important roles in maintaining gut hemostasis.…”

Attenuation of carrageenan-induced hind paw edema and plasma TNF-α level by Philippine stingless bee (<i>Tetragonula biroi</i> Friese) propolis

“…However, the detailed molecular underpinnings by which propolis regulate the TNF-α signaling pathway remains to be elucidated. Nevertheless, our findings, together with the result of the former studies, underline the key contributory role of TNF-α in the regulation of acute inflammation in the context of this animal model; and more importantly, validates the glaring potential of propolis in addressing various inflammatory-type of human diseases like asthma [72], gout [73], inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) [74][75], Alzheimer's disease [76], arthritis [77], and diabetes [78]. Indeed, oral intake of propolis capsule by type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, who were recently enrolled in a randomized double-blind clinical trial, substantially improved their lipid profile, post-prandial blood glucose level, and insulin resistance; and effectively abrogated the unconstrained expression of inflammatory biomarkers especially TNF-α cytokine level [79].…”

Lessons from Exploring Chemical Space and Chemical Diversity of Propolis Components

“…Several comprehensive reviews have reported the natural compositions found in propolis [ 13 , 17 , 20 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ] and their biological activities [ 13 , 14 , 16 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ]. However, the chemical space and the chemical diversity of propolis components have been underexplored.…”