Bioactivities of portuguese propolis

Abstract

Natural products have been traditionally used in the treatment of several diseases because they are the source of many biologically active compounds, which can bear several therapeutic actions and/or constitute models for the synthesis of new drugs. Propolis or bee glue, one of the few natural remedies that has maintained its popularity over a long period of time, has been the focus of intense research during the last decades. Propolis is a sticky resin containing a complex mixture of substances that honeybees (Apis melifera L.) collect from plants, further digest with salivary enzymes and mix with beeswax. The final product is used by bees to seal hive walls, fill eventual cracks, strength the combs borders, embalm dead invaders and protect the hive against microbial infections. In spite of the differences found in the chemical profiles of propolis from different world origins, which are due to botanical and climate diversity, several propolis samples have shown to possess important biological and pharmacological properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-hepatotoxic, antitumoral, anti-inflammatory, anti-HIV-1, anti-neurodegenerative, and anti-tuberculosis, among others. Due to this vast range of properties, propolis can be an alternative, economic and safe source of natural bioactive compounds and, not surprisingly, it started to be marketed in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries as well as in healthy-food stores.