Volatile Oils in Propolis are Chemically Diverse, Biologically Active

New studies on the volatile compounds in propolis are growing rapidly. It's not surprising as the strength of propolis makes it a powerful, preventative and protective agent with complementary effects when combined with allopathic treatment.

Propolis Volatile Compounds: Chemical Diversity and Biological Activity: A Review

Chemistry Central Journal, 2 May 2014

Propolis is a sticky material collected by bees from plants, and used in the hive as building material and defensive substance. It has been popular as a remedy in Europe since ancient times. Nowadays, propolis use in over-the-counter preparations, "bio"-cosmetics and functional foods, etc., increases.

Volatile compounds are found in low concentrations in propolis, but their aroma and significant biological activity make them important for propolis characterisation. Propolis is a plant-derived product: its chemical composition depends on the local flora at the site of collection, thus it offers a significant chemical diversity. The role of propolis volatiles in identification of its plant origin is discussed. The available data about chemical composition of propolis volatiles from different geographic regions are reviewed, demonstrating significant chemical variability. The contribution of volatiles and their constituents to the biological activities of propolis is considered.

Future perspectives in research on propolis volatiles are outlined, especially in studying activities other than antimicrobial.

Click here to view entire paper.

Does Gamma Irradiation Make Honey Better?

A very important study concerning sterilized honey for medical use. People have used honey with success in treating wounds for centuries but its use in hospital settings requires irradiation. Though the results show no effect on physicochemical properties, there is significant effects on vitamins C, E and HMF (used to determine the amount of heat exposure which destroys healthy enzymes). There's also no mention of the effects on phenolic acids which have a strong impact on the therapeutic use of honey. Further studies are definitely required...

Does Gamma Irradiation Affect Physicochemical Properties of Honey? 

La Clinica Terapeutica, 2014 Mar-Apr

BACKGROUND AND AIMS:

Honey is a supersaturated solution of sugars, enriched with proteins, minerals, vitamins, organic acids and polyphenols. Gamma irradiation is a physical technique of food preservation which protects the honey from insects' and microbial contamination during storage. We investigated the effect of gamma irradiation on physicochemical properties in two types of Malaysian honey, Gelam and Nenas.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Both honeys were irradiated at the dose 25 kGy in a cobalt-60 irradiator. The physicochemical properties pH, moisture, acidity, color, and sugar content as well as vitamins C and E, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and mineral contents, for the irradiated and non-irradiated honeys were assessed.

RESULTS:

The results revealed that pH, acidity, minerals and sugar contents in both types of honey were not affected significantly by gamma irradiation, while moisture, vitamin E contents and HMF level decreased significantly with gamma irradiation. However, significant increase in color intensity and vitamin C were observed after gamma irradiation for both types of honey.

DISCUSSION:

In summary, gamma irradiation treatment of honey (in the dose mentioned above) did not cause significant changes in the physicochemical and mineral contents, except for significant alterations in color intensity, moisture, vitamins (C and E), and HMF contents.

Chestnut Honey Exhibits High Antimicrobial Effect on E coli, Salmonella

This study highlights the importance of honey floral sources for antimicrobial usage, stressing the need for further studies using honey to stop the spread of resistant bacteria... 

Antimicrobial potential of Sicilian honeys against commensal Escherichia coli and pathogenic Salmonella serovar infantis

J Prev Med Hyg. 2013 Dec

INTRODUCTION:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the antibacterial effect of 71 locally produced honeys from different botanical sources collected from apiarist's open markets in Sicily.

METHODS:

Antimicrobial activity was determined against Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) and Salmonella serovar Infantis (ATCC 1523) by an agar-diffusion assay from the estimation of the diameter of the inhibition zone produced by the honeys. Statistically) significant differences (P < .000) regarding inhibition were observed for the honeys tested.

RESULTS:

The chestnut and polyfloral honey samples exhibited the largest and highest inhibition (diameter of the inhibition zone > 25 mm) against both E. coli and S. Infantis. The honey of oregano origin showed intermediate or low activity against E. coli and S. Infantis, respectively. Prickly pear and erica honeys showed no antimicrobial activity against the two reference strains.

DISCUSSION:

The results may partially suggest the usefulness of the Sicilian honeys on treating multi-resistant enterobacteria. In light of the enormous potential for application of honey in the clinical practice, it is important that research continues not only into those honeys well recognized as antimicrobial, but also into other locally produced and yet untested honeys.

Propolis Proven Effective Against Leukaemia

Propolis, the protector of the beehive, also provides protection for many living species and is by far the most important product from honey bees. That's why you'll find it used in many applications, from balms to ovules and creams to vaporizers. The anticancer effects are complementary and enhance the effects of allopathic treatments such as chemotherapy against multiple cancer cells.

Polyphenols as Key Players for the Antileukaemic Effects of Propolis

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2014, March

Propolis (a bee product) which has a long history of medicinal use by humans has attracted a great deal of research interest in the recent time; this is due to its widely reported biological activities such as antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticarcinogenic properties.

Crude form of propolis and its phenolic contents have both been reported to exhibit antileukaemic effects in various leukaemia cell lines. The ability of the polyphenols found in propolis to arrest cell cycle and induce apoptosis and differentiation in addition to inhibition of cell growth and proliferation makes them promising antileukaemic agents, and hence, they are believed to be a key to the antileukaemic effects of propolis in different types of leukaemia.

This paper reviews the molecular bases of antileukaemic activity of both crude propolis and individual polyphenols on various leukaemia cell lines, and it indicates that propolis has the potential to be used in both treatment and prevention of leukaemia. This however needs further evaluation by in vitro, in vivo, and epidemiological studies as well as clinical trials.

It is also suggested that the use of propolis in combination with honey for prevention and treatment of many ailments including malignancies as practiced traditionally should be further elucidated.

Greek Honey Contains Rich Anti-Cancer, Anti-Cholesterol, Antioxidant Compounds

Location is everything, not only in real estate but also with bees. Depending on their geographic placement, floral sources change and so does the nectar, tree resin and pollen. This new study identified important phenolic compounds in Greek honeys that are important to human health and reaffirms the importance of daily consumption of non-commercial honey...

Phenolic Acid composition, antiatherogenic and anticancer potential of honeys derived from various regions in Greece

PLoS One, 2014 Apr 21

The phenolic acid profile of honey depends greatly on its botanical and geographical origin. In this study, we carried out a quantitative analysis of phenolic acids in the ethyl acetate extract of 12 honeys collected from various regions in Greece.

Our findings indicate that protocatechuic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid and p-coumaric acid are the major phenolic acids of the honeys examined. Conifer tree honey (from pine and fir) contained significantly higher concentrations of protocatechuic and caffeic acid (mean: 6640 and 397 µg/kg honey respectively) than thyme and citrus honey (mean of protocatechuic and caffeic acid: 437.6 and 116 µg/kg honey respectively). p-Hydroxybenzoic acid was the dominant compound in thyme honeys (mean: 1252.5 µg/kg honey). We further examined the antioxidant potential (ORAC assay) of the extracts, their ability to influence viability of prostate cancer (PC-3) and breast cancer (MCF-7) cells as well as their lowering effect on TNF- α-induced adhesion molecule expression in endothelial cells (HAEC).

ORAC values of Greek honeys ranged from 415 to 2129 µmol Trolox equivalent/kg honey and correlated significantly with their content in protocatechuic acid (p < 0.001), p-hydroxybenzoic acid (p < 0.01), vanillic acid (p < 0.05), caffeic acid (p < 0.01), p-coumaric acid (p < 0.001) and their total phenolic content (p < 0.001). Honey extracts reduced significantly the viability of PC-3 and MCF-7 cells as well as the expression of adhesion molecules in HAEC. Importantly, vanillic acid content correlated significantly with anticancer activity in PC-3 and MCF-7 cells (p < 0.01, p < 0.05 respectively). Protocatechuic acid, vanillic acid and total phenolic content correlated significantly with the inhibition of VCAM-1 expression (p < 0.05, p < 0.05 and p < 0.01 respectively).

In conclusion, Greek honeys are rich in phenolic acids, in particular protocatechuic and p-hydroxybenzoic acid and exhibit significant antioxidant, anticancer and antiatherogenic activities which may be attributed, at least in part, to their phenolic acid content.

Bee Venom Dramatically Reduces ALS Symptoms

This new study finds that Bee Venom Therapy (BVT) has positive results on ALS symptoms, but those who've been using BVT for ALS, MS and various forms of Arthritis can already attest to its benefits. This is promising news for ALS sufferers, as use of the other bee products have been proven to aid and prevent neurodegenerative diseases.

Melittin ameliorates the inflammation of organs in an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis animal model

J Neuroinflammation, 2011 June

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a selective loss of motor neurons in the spinal cord, brainstem, and motor cortex, leading to weakness of the limb and bulbar muscles. Although the immediate cause of death in ALS is the destruction of motor neurons, ALS is a multi-organ disease that also affects the lungs, spleen, and liver. Melittin is one of components of bee venom and has anti-neuroinflammatory effects in the spinal cord, as shown in an ALS animal model. Melittin is a 26 amino acid protein and is used in traditional Chinese medicine to inhibit cancer cell proliferation and is known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic effects.

To investigate the effects of melittin on inflammation in the lungs and spleen, we used hSOD1(G93A) transgenic mice that are mimic for ALS. Melittin treatment reduced the expression of inflammatory proteins, including Iba-1 and CD14 by 1.9- and 1.3-fold (p < 0.05), respectively, in the lungs of symptomatic hSOD1(G93A) transgenic mice. In the spleen, the expression of CD14 and COX2 that are related to inflammation were decreased by 1.4 fold (p < 0.05) and cell survival proteins such as pERK and Bcl2 were increased by 1.3- and 1.5-fold (p < 0.05) in the melittin-treated hSOD1G93A transgenic mice. Interestingly, melittin treatment in symptomatic ALS animals improved motor function and reduced the level of neuron death in the spinal cord when compared to the control group

These findings suggest that melittin could be a candidate to regulate the immune system in organs affected by ALS. Our research suggests a potential functional link between melittin and the inhibition of neuroinflammation in an ALS animal model.

Propolis Speeds Healing of Burn Wounds

It's well-documented that propolis accelerates the wound healing process and this new study provides yet another critical application for its healing properties. The authors define propolis as "one of the most promising candidates for burn wound management".

Propolis Modulates Fibronectin Expression in the Matrix of Thermal Injury

BioMed Research International, 2014, March

The aim of the study was to assess the propolis effect on fibronectin metabolism in the course of burn wounds healing process. A model of burn wound healing of pig skin was applied. The amount of the released glycoprotein was assessed by a surface plasmon resonance. The profile of extracted fibronectin components was also assessed by an electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel, with a subsequent immunodetection by Western Blotting. 

Propolis burn treatment decreased the release of fibronectin components from healing wounds in relation to damages treated with silver sulfadiazine. The main reason of decreased extraction of fibronectin components from wounds treated with propolis was a substantial decrease of degradation product release of the mentioned glycoprotein, which was observed particularly from the 3rd to 5th day of the repair.

Wounds treatment with propolis demonstrated, especially in relation to damages treated with silver sulfadiazine, the decreased release of synthesized fibronectin molecules. The obtained results suggest that propolis modifies fibronectin metabolism in the course of wound healing process. The influence of propolis is reflected in prevention of fibronectin biosynthesis as well as its degradation in the wound area. The above-mentioned metabolic changes may decrease the risk of complications in the repair wounds process.