Abstract
BackgroundPropolis is the bee product noted for multiple biological effects, and therefore it is widely used for the prevention and treatment of a variety of diseases. The active substances of propolis are easily soluble in ethanol. However ethanolic extracts cannot be used in treatment of certain diseases encountered in ophthalmology, pediatrics, etc. Unfortunately, the main biologically active substances of propolis are scarcely soluble in water, oil and other solvents usually used in pharmaceutical industry. The aim of this study was to investigate chemical composition, radical scavenging and antimicrobial activity of propolis extracts differently made in nonethanolic solvents.MethodsTotal content of phenolic compounds in extracts was determined using Folin-Ciocalteu method. Chemical composition and radical scavenging activity of extracts were determined using HPLC system with free radical reaction detector. Antimicrobial activity of examined preparations was evaluated using the agar-well diffusion assay.ResultsTotal amount of phenolic compounds in extracts made in polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG) and water mixture or in PEG, olive oil and water mixture at 70 °C was comparable to that of ethanolic extract. Predominantly identified compounds were phenolic acids, which contribute ca. 40 % of total radical scavenging activity.Investigated nonethanolic extracts inhibited the growth and reproduction of all tested microrganisms. Antimicrobial activity of some extracts was equal or exceeded the antimicrobial effect of ethanolic extract. Extracts made in pure water or oil only at room temperature, contained more than 5 – 10-fold lower amount of phenolic compounds, and demonstrated no antimicrobial activity.ConclusionsNonethanolic solvent complex and the effect of higher temperature allows more effective extraction of active compounds from propolis. Concentration of total phenolic compounds in these extracts does not differ significantly from the concentration found in ethanolic extract. Propolis nonethanolic extracts have radical scavenging and antimicrobial activity.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12906-015-0677-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Propolis is the bee product noted for multiple biological effects, and it is widely used for the prevention and treatment of a variety of diseases
There are few biologically active substances of propolis that can be extracted with water, water heating is applied in order to increase the solubility of poorly soluble compounds [2, 18]
polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG) is widely used in pharmaceutical industry and it is suitable for a formulation of parenteral drug forms
Summary
Propolis is the bee product noted for multiple biological effects, and it is widely used for the prevention and treatment of a variety of diseases. The main biologically active substances of propolis are scarcely soluble in water, oil and other solvents usually used in pharmaceutical industry. Extraction with ethanol is a simple and effective method, it has Kubiliene et al BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2015) 15:156 disadvantages such as strong residual flavor, limitations of application in cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry: for example, in medicine ethanol extracts are not suitable for treatment of some diseases in ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, pediatrics, or in cases of alcohol intolerance. Active substances mostly have low solubility in water, and the amount of phenolic compounds in water extracts is 10-fold lower than in ethanolic extracts [8, 9]. It is important to find effective co-solvents which increase the solubility of these substances in water
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