Water‑soluble propolis and bee pollen of <em>Trigona</em> spp. from South Sulawesi Indonesia induce apoptosis in the human breast cancer MCF‑7 cell line

Abstract

Bee products are best known as one of the beneficial natural products providing multiple pharmacological effects, such as antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects. The present study aimed to identify potent products derived from the stingless bee Trigona spp. from Luwu Utara (South Sulawesi, Indonesia), focussing on the water-soluble extract of propolis and bee pollen, against the proliferation of the human breast cancer MCF-7 cell line. The results from DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) method of antioxidant assay revealed that water-soluble propolis and bee pollen had high antioxidant activity, with half-maximal effective concentrations against DPPH radicals of 1.3 and 0.4 mg/ml, respectively. Additionally, water-soluble propolis and bee pollen exhibited a significant antiproliferative activity in MCF-7 cells, with IC 50 values of 10.8±0.06 and 18.6±0.03 mg/ml, respectively (P<0.05). Significant cytotoxic effects were observed after 24 h of treatment via microscopic and flow cytometric analysis, where a morphological change toward late apoptosis was observed. By contrast, honey had low antioxidant activity and no antiproliferative effect in MCF-7 cells. The water-soluble propolis also exerted its antiproliferative effect in the human keratinocyte HaCaT cell line. The antiproliferative activity was similar (P>0.05) at 24 and 48 h of treatment, with IC 50 at 2.7±0.06 mg/ml and <0.4 mg/ml, respectively. Notably, bee pollen was less toxic to HaCaT cells after 24 h of treatment than the water-soluble propolis, with IC 50 >50 mg/ml. Its antiproliferative activity was significantly increased after 48 h of treatment, with IC 50 at 9.6±0.07 mg/ml (P<0.05). In addition, similar to other poplar propolis, the high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet and electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry analyses revealed that caffeic acid phenethyl ester was not the main bioactive compound of the samples examined. Furthermore, two major proteins (between ~50 and 75 kDa) were identified in the water-soluble propolis and bee pollen. The present results suggested that water-soluble propolis and bee pollen may have the potential to be elaborated further as a breast anticancer therapy.

Cytotoxicity effect of honey, bee pollen, and propolis from seven stingless bees in some cancer cell lines

“…The water-soluble extract of bee pollen from Trigona spp. exhibited antiproliferation activity in MCF-7 cells with an apoptosis mechanism ( Amalia et al, 2020 ).…”

The Isorhamnetin-Containing Fraction of Philippine Honey Produced by the Stingless Bee Tetragonula biroi Is an Antibiotic against Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

“…The health-promoting properties of honey are associated with plant secondary metabolites that are gathered by honey bees concomitant to the collection of flower nectars or Molecules 2021, 26, 1688. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26061688 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules honeydew. In addition to its traditional household use as a sweetener, honey is often recognized as an alternative nutraceutical that exhibits a broad spectrum of in vitro activities such as antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anticancer, anti-glycemic, prebiotic, and antiviral activities [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Correlated with honey's biological activities is the diversity of its secondary metabolite composition.…”

Antibacterial Activity of Propolis-Embedded Zeolite Nanocomposites for Implant Application

“…Propolis and/or its extracts have antitumor, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects in biological systems [ 50 , 51 , 52 ]. Specifically, the application of propolis in mouthwash is known to suppress dysphagia or mucositis efficiently in clinical trials [ 42 , 43 ].…”