Abstract
The Brazilian red propolis (BRP) constitutes an important commercial asset for northeast Brazilian beekeepers. The role of Dalbergia ecastaphyllum (L.) Taub. (Fabaceae) as the main botanical source of this propolis has been previously confirmed. However, in addition to isoflavonoids and other phenolics, which are present in the resin of D. ecastaphyllum, samples of BRP are reported to contain substantial amounts of polyprenylated benzophenones, whose botanical source was unknown. Therefore, field surveys, phytochemical and chromatographic analyses were undertaken to confirm the botanical sources of the red propolis produced in apiaries located in Canavieiras, Bahia, Brazil. The results confirmed D. ecastaphyllum as the botanical source of liquiritigenin (1), isoliquiritigenin (2), formononetin (3), vestitol (4), neovestitol (5), medicarpin (6), and 7-O-neovestitol (7), while Symphonia globulifera L.f. (Clusiaceae) is herein reported for the first time as the botanical source of polyprenylated benzophenones, mainly guttiferone E (8) and oblongifolin B (9), as well as the triterpenoids β-amyrin (10) and glutinol (11). The chemotaxonomic and economic significance of the occurrence of polyprenylated benzophenones in red propolis is discussed.
Highlights
The red propolis is the second most produced and traded type of propolis in Brazil and constitutes an important commercial asset for northeast Brazilian beekeepers
The results reported here confirm that the main botanical source of the red propolis produced in the COPAER beekeepers association of Canavieiras is
The botanical source of polyprenylated benzophenones present in Brazilian red propolis (BRP) samples was unknown, but it was inferred from a chemotaxonomic point of view that these compounds would be collected by bees from a resin-producing plant belonging to the Clusiaceae family [4]
Summary
The red propolis is the second most produced and traded type of propolis in Brazil and constitutes an important commercial asset for northeast Brazilian beekeepers. Were the first ones to describe, simultaneously in 2008, D. ecastaphyllum as the main botanical source of the BRP [2,3]. These initial studies together with the report of Piccinelli et al (2011) confirmed the presence of a rich variety of phenolic compounds, in both the propolis and the plant resin, such as chalcones (e.g., isoliquiritigenin), flavonoids (e.g., luteolin, liquiritigenin), isoflavones (e.g., formononetin, biochanin A), isoflavans (e.g., vestitol, neovestitol, 7-O-methylvestitol), pterocarpanes (e.g., medicarpin, homopterocarpin, vesticarpan), and C30 isoflavans (retusapurpurins A and B) [4]. Present in red propolis, which are influenced by regional and seasonal factors [5]
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