Abstract
Abstract Numerous compounds derived from natural sources such as microbes, plants, and insects have proven to be safe, efficacious, and cost-effective therapeutics for human diseases. This study examined the bioactivities of propolis, a structural sealant and antibacterial/antifungal agent produced by honey bees. Chinese propolis was extracted in methanol or hexane. Propolis significantly reduced the numbers of viable cancer cells when applied as a methanol extract (IC50 values in μg/mL for the indicated cell line: MDA-MB-231, 74.12; LoVo, 74.12; HepG2, 77.74; MCF7, 95.10; A549, 114.84) or a hexane extract (MDA-MB-231, 52.11; LoVo, 45.9; HepG2, 52.11; MCF7, 78.01; A549, 67.90). Hexane extract also induced apoptosis of HepG2 cells according to activated caspase-3/7 expression assays (17.6 ± 2.9% at 150 μg/mL and 89.2 ± 1.9% at 300 μg/mL vs 3.4 ± 0.4% in vehicle control), suppressed the growth of Candida albicans and multiple multidrug-resistant and nonresistant Gram-positive bacteria, and inhibited croton oil-induced skin inflammation when applied as topical treatment. GC-MS identified hexadecanoic acid methyl ester as a major constituent (33.6%). Propolis hexane extract has potential anticancer, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activities.
Highlights
Identification of bioactive agents from natural sources, including microbes, insects, and traditional medicinal plants, is a major focus of drug discovery research for infectious diseases and cancer [1,2]
To evaluate the antiproliferative and/or cytotoxic effects of methanol and hexane extracts of propolis on cancer cells, LoVo, MDA-MB-231, HepG2, MCF7, and A549 cell lines were incubated with increasing extract concentrations and viable cell numbers estimated by MTT assay (Figure 1a and b)
Following treatment with the propolis hexane fraction, cells detached from the substrate and shrank, suggesting apoptosis
Summary
Identification of bioactive agents from natural sources, including microbes, insects, and traditional medicinal plants, is a major focus of drug discovery research for infectious diseases and cancer [1,2]. Acquired drug resistance is a major factor limiting the long-term efficacies of both cancer and microbial infection treatments. Some of these drug resistance mechanisms are similar [7]. Many raw natural products and extracts contain large numbers of chemical compounds with distinct or shared bioactivities that act synergistically. These compounds may help in overcoming resistance, thereby increasing the efficacy of current cancer polychemotherapy treatments and reducing the likelihood of recurrence and secondary malignancies [8]
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