With technological advancements in the medicinal and pharmaceutical industries, numerous research studies have focused on the propolis produced by Apis mellifera honeybees as alternative complementary medicines for the potential treatment of various acute and chronic diseases.
Propolis can be found in tropical and subtropical forests throughout the world. The composition of phytochemical constituents in propolis varies depending on the bee species, geographical location, botanical source, and environmental conditions.
Typically, propolis contains:
lipid,
beeswax,
essential oils,
pollen,
and organic components.
The latter include flavonoids, phenolic compounds, polyphenols, terpenes, terpenoids, coumarins, steroids, amino acids, and aromatic acids.
The biologically active constituents of propolis, which include countless organic compounds such as:
artepillin C, caffeic acid, caffeic acid phenethyl ester, apigenin, chrysin, galangin, kaempferol, luteolin, genistein, naringin, pinocembrin, coumaric acid, and quercetin,
...which have a broad spectrum of biological and therapeutic properties such as anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic obstruct pulmonary disorders, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory tract-related diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, as well as neuro-protective, immunomodulatory, and immuno-inflammatory agents.
Molecules. 2022 Sep; 27(18): 6120. Propolis: Its Role and Efficacy in Human Health and Diseases
Published online 2022 Sep 19. doi: 10.3390/molecules27186120
PMCID: PMC9504311
PMID: 36144852
Bees gather the resins and beeswax from various parts of plants, such as flowers and leaf buds, exudates, resins, gums, and mucilage, surrounding their hive and then enriched them with their β-glucosidase enzymatic saliva [3,4,5,6].
Propolis is a valuable bee resinous product produced by different types of bees including Apis mellifera honeybee.
The propolis of each species is very diverse and has a variety of chemical compositions. The botanical plants within a radius of up to a few kilometers surrounding beehives have a huge impact on the composition and physiochemical content of propolis.
