Objectives Viral outbreaks are a frequent concern for humans. A great variety of drugs has been used to treat viral diseases, which are not always safe and effective and may induce adverse effects, indicating the need for new antiviral drugs extracted from natural sources. Propolis is a bee-made product exhibiting many biological properties. An overview of viruses, antiviral immunity, propolis safety and its immunomodulatory and antiviral action is reported, as well as perspectives for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment. PubMed platform was used for data collection, searching for the keywords “propolis”, “virus”, “antiviral”, “antimicrobial” and “coronavirus”. Key findings Propolis is safe and exerts antiviral and immunomodulatory activity; however, clinical trials should investigate its effects on individuals with viral diseases, in combination or not with antiviral drugs or vaccines. Summary Regarding COVID-19, the effects of propolis should be investigated directly on the virus in vitro or on infected individuals alone or in combination with antiviral drugs, due to its immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory action. Propolis administration simultaneously with vaccines should be analyzed, due to its adjuvant properties, to enhance the individuals’ immune response. The search for therapeutic targets may be useful to find out how propolis can help to control COVID-19.

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Objectives Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a multidrug-resistant pathogen in nosocomial infections. Since the 1950’s, MRSA has acquired several resistance factors including efflux pumps and drug target modifications. Some studies investigated the anti-MRSA capacity of propolis samples collected in different regions and their immunomodulatory action. The aim of this review is to gather the data published up to August 2022 about propolis action on MRSA strains and its modulatory action on phagocytes. Methods The PubMed database was used looking for articles containing the keywords “propolis”, “immunomodulation”, “MRSA” and the name of each compound. As propolis contains a variety of compounds making it impossible to isolate the major bioactive components, we reviewed the main compounds found in several propolis samples and their mechanisms towards the resistance factors displayed by MRSA. Some perspectives for using propolis-based medications and the formulation of new antimicrobial/immunomodulatory agents are discussed. Key findings Propolis extracts and active compounds exert antibacterial action over MRSA strains acting on resistance factors. Moreover, propolis modulates pro-inflammatory markers in phagocytes. Conclusions Because propolis compounds may act synergistically, it’s crucial to understand how these components interact in order to synthesize standardized formulations and enhance their bioavailability for clinical applications to combat MRSA.

Os produtos apícolas têm sido utilizados há séculos por vários povos para o tratamento de diversas enfermidades. Nos dias atuais, seu consumo vem aumentando, seja na forma de suplementos para prevenção ou tratamento de doenças, seja como nutracêuticos. As pesquisas sobre as propriedades dos produtos apícolas também cresceram nas últimas décadas, com consequente aumento do interesse pela apiterapia, que atualmente integra o rol de atividades de medicina complementar de vários países. Experimentos realizados in vitro e in vivo, bem como ensaios clínicos, têm demonstrado que esses produtos podem ser indicados para o tratamento de várias enfermidades ou associados a tratamentos convencionais para manutenção da saúde. Visando estabelecer uma ponte entre apicultores, apiterapeutas e pesquisadores, este livro apresenta informações sobre os produtos apícolas, as evidências científicas de seu uso pelas abelhas e pelo homem e as aplicações desses produtos na apiterapia.

Aims The antibacterial activity of red propolis extract (RPE) and brown propolis extracts (BPE) and the synergistic effect of RPE with cefoxitin (CEFO), imipenem (IMI), and ertapenem (ERTA) was evaluated in vitro against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains. Methods and results MRSA ATCC 33591, community-associated (CA-MRSA) USA300, and four clinical isolates were used. A broth microdilution assay was performed to obtain inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations of BPE, RPE, CEFO, IMI, and ERTA. RPE in combination with CEFO, IMI, and ERTA was evaluated on the formation or eradication of biofilm. The bacterial relative membrane conductivity of the strains was assessed after RPE and combinations exposition. Surface/binding computational analyzes between RPE compounds and penicillin binding protein 2a (PBP2a) were performed. BPE samples had no activity against MRSA (MICs 3.2–5 g l−1; MBCs 10–15 g l−1), so the subsequent assays were carried out only with RPE and antimicrobials. RPE exerted a bacteriostatic action (MICs 0.0156–0.125 g l−1; MBCs 0.5–2 g l−1) but the combinations with IMI and ERTA showed the highest inhibition, as observed in the time-kill curve. However, the FICI index showed synergism (≥0.5) only to RPE + IMI. This combination was the most effective in inhibiting the biofilm and showed the highest values of membrane conductivity. Computational predictions indicated that RPE constituents may interact with PBP2a. Conclusion RPE and RPE + IMI exerted an antibacterial and antibiofilm activity on MRSA strains probably due to membrane/wall damage and interactions with PBP2a.