Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Cytotoxicity Activities of Propolis from Beladin, Sarawak Stingless Bees Trigona itama Extract

Abstract

Abstract The natural product produced by stingless bees such as honey, beehive, pollen and propolis are well known for their benefits and has been used as traditional medicine by the Asian community. Trigona itama known as “lebah kelulut” by Malaysia community are widely distributed in Sarawak and T. itama are the main local species used by our local industries involved in commercialization of stingless bee products. Limited research and data on T. itama propolis, which resulted in less demand in industrial sectors than honeybee propolis. Biological activity and chemical constituent of T. itama propolis are influenced on the vegetation in T. itama habitat. Propolis is a by-product of T. itama bees that are produced by a combination of beeswax and resins. This study aims to identify the antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxicity activities of Sarawak T. itama propolis in hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts. Antioxidant activities of T. itama propolis was identified using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) solvent and measured using UV spectrophotometer. The antibacterial activity of T.itama propolis was evaluated by using Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. The sample of concentration 500, 750 and 1000 ug/mL were treated on the blank disc to determine the antimicrobial activity of propolis. The result from this study shows that all T. itama propolis extract possesses antioxidant activity and methanol extract (EC50 17.18) show the highest antioxidant activity compared to ascorbic acid (EC50 21.05). T. itama propolis extract has anti-bacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. All T. itama propolis crude extract show a low level of toxicity in Brine shrimp lethality test.