The correlation between the phenolic composition and biological activities of two varieties of Brazilian propolis (G6 and G12)

Ingridy Simone Ribeiro Cabral,Severino Matias De Alencar,Tatiane Luiza Cadorin Oldoni,Pedro Luiz Rosalen,Masaharu Ikegaki

doi:10.1590/s1984-82502012000300023

Abstract

Biological assays that have been performed on different types of Brazilian propolis have shown that type 6 propolis (G6) has a strong antimicrobial activity and a low flavonoid content. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between the phenolic composition and the biological activities displayed by propolis G6 from the state of Bahia and green propolis, also known as type 12 (G12). The values of the flavonoids and the total phenolics in propolis G6 were different than those in propolis G12. Although the G12 variety presented greater antioxidant activity, propolis G6 proved to have greater antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities. The results showed that the phenolic compounds may not be the only compounds responsible for the biological activity. More detailed studies of the chemical composition and an assessment of the biological activity are required to establish the quality of propolis.

Highlights

IntroductionPropolis has been used in folk medicine for centuries
Propolis is a resinous substance with a complex chemical composition that is collected from various species of plants by Apis mellifera bees, which results in a material of different colors and consistencies
The absorption maximum of group 6 (G6) was significantly lower than the absorption of group 12 (G12) propolis, indicating a lower phenolic compound concentration (Figure 1)

Summary

Introduction

Propolis has been used in folk medicine for centuries Pharmacological properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant (Oldoni et al, 2011; Cabral et al, 2009; Alencar et al, 2007), anticarcinogenic (Duarte et al, 2006; Castro et al, 2007; Castro et al, 2009) and anti-inflammatory (Park et al, 1998) activities have been described for propolis. Ikegaki among the criteria used to evaluate the quality of propolis extracts intended for national and international trade. These criteria are described in the Regulation of Identity and Quality of Propolis that was proposed by the Agriculture Ministry (Instruction Number 3; January 19, 2001). The absorption spectrum in the ultraviolet and visible region is evaluated and must have the “characteristic peaks” between 200 and 400 nm of the major classes of flavonoids

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Conclusion