Different Types Of Propolis Research Articles

A própolis no combate a tripanossomatídeos de importância médica: uma perspectiva terapêutica para doença de Chagas e Leishmaniose

This article presents a review of the basic clinical and epidemiological aspects of leishmaniasis and Chagas disease, as well as the potential utility of propolis, a natural product from bees widely used in popular medicine, for their specific treatment. Infections caused by protozoan parasites are considered neglected diseases and affect millions of people in the world, requiring large efforts on research for the development of safer and more effective therapies. Currently there is great interest in phytotherapy as an alternative approach for the treatment of these diseases. Among these approaches propolis is being actively investigated, based in its previously known antimicrobial activities. Distinct pharmacological activities have been attributed to the different types of propolis, particularly in Brazil. Several studies in vitro and in vivo with extracts of propolis against Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp have had promising results, but further work is required to confirm the potential value of this natural product for the treatment of human infections.

Polyphenolic fingerprint of propolis extracts

Recent analytical techniques can be applied to separate and quantify polyphenols in extracts of propolis used in nutraceutical preparations and to determine the typical ‚fingerprints’ of propolis for the reliable identification of a large number of polyphenolic components. Our laboratory has developed a multi-analytical approach for the identification and chemical characterization of extracts of propolis coming from different countries of origin including spectrophotometric procedures such as HPLCUV- ESI-MS and 1H- and 13C-NMR for an accurate assessment of the contents of these compounds in extract samples. The results show that HPLC-UV-ESI-MS and NMR are useful tools for the quantification of bioactive substances in the different types of propolis and for the chemical classification of propolis. These techniques may provide alternatives to classical analytical phytochemistry to screen commercial preparations of propolisand to evaluate specific nutraceutical benefits. The availability and use of efficient analytical methodologies to document the quantitative composition of bioactive molecules in plant extracts is essential for consumer protection and to comply with the rigorous rules of recent legislation.