En México, los propóleos se ofertan por su actividad antioxidante y su actividad antimicrobiana, por lo cual es necesario realizar su análisis utilizando la norma de calidad mexicana. El objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar la composición química de ocho propóleos mexicanos colectados de diferentes municipios de los estados de México, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Veracruz y Puebla, para evaluar su actividad antioxidante y también su actividad antimicrobiana  contra cepas de referencia de Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli y Candida albicans. Las muestras provenientes de los municipios del Estado de México y Michoacán presentaron flavonoides, fenoles y terpenos que les confieren una mayor actividad antioxidante y acción antimicrobiana. Las muestras de los municipios de Puebla, Veracruz y Guanajuato contienen terpenos en bajas cantidades, provocando disminución de la actividad biológica e incumplimiento de las especificaciones de calidad. Se demostró la importancia del estudio de la composición química de los propóleos que se asocia a su actividad biológica en pruebas específicas.

In light of the scarcity of novel therapeutic agents that are effective, the pharmaceutical industry has found a newer source of therapeutic compounds in natural products and herbal medicine to address the current health problems in humans and animals. What is particularly promising about these agents is that they produce fewer side effects and are more cost effective than synthetic compounds. This means greater availability of these treatments particularly for less developed countries who can't afford expensive treatments. The reduced side effects also mean greater patient tolerance and increased compliance thereby yielding maximal therapeutic effect without negatively impacting on quality of life. Among the natural products more frequently employed nowadays is propolis, a resin that is routinely collected by bees (Apis mellifera). Propolis contains flavonoids, caffeic acid esters and diterpenic acids, which provide the bactericidal, antiviral and antifungal properties to this product. The use of propolis to address a variety of conditions in small animal species is beginning to play an important role in the currently available treatments. Its use appears to be an effective treatment with no side effects at low cost. This paper reviews the different applications of this compound to treat diseases in dogs.

Here we present three clinical cases of canine dermatophytosis resolved with topical propolis treatment that involved alopecia and well-demarcated erythematous lesions. These cases were positively identified by direct observation of samples from the affected zones with 10% KOH. Each sample was cultured, leading to the isolation of Microsporum gypseum in one case and Microsporum canis in the other two cases. The animals' subsequent treatment included bathing using a commercial soap with propolis every seven days for 3 to 8 weeks, as well as the use of a propoliscontaining ointment elaborated in our laboratory, which was applied to the lesions once a day for three weeks. From the second week of treatment, all cultures were negative. At the end of treatment, all cases displayed full recovery of the injuries and hair growth in these areas. In these clinical cases, treatment with propolis was effective, supporting the use of propolis as a promising natural alternative with no known collateral effects.

No abstract

La actividad antibacteriana de los propóleos se relaciona con el contenido de compuestos fenólicos y flavonoides; sin embargo, no todos los propóleos presentan esta propiedad debido a la ausencia o baja cantidad de estos compuestos, pero se puede incrementar con la adición de chalconas sintéticas. Se sintetizaron tres chalconas: 1,3-difenilpropil-2E-1-ona (PLCR-1); y dos análogos con sustituyentes hidroxilo: 1-(3,4-dihidroxifenil)-4-(2,4,6-trihidroxifenil)prop-2E-en-1-ona (PLCR-2) y 1-(3,4-dihidroxifenil)-4-(2,4-dihidroxifenil)prop-2E-en-1-ona (PLCR-3) que se adicionaron en distintas proporciones a dos propóleos, uno del estado de Guanajuato (sin flavonoides) y otro del Estado de México (con flavonoides) para evaluar la actividad antibacteriana contra cepas de referencia de Staphylococcus aureus y de Escherichia coli, utilizando el método Kirby Bauer. Los resultados muestran que únicamente la chalcona PLCR-3 potencializó el efecto antibacteriano de ambas muestras frente a S. aureus. El incremento de la actividad antibacteriana de un propóleo con la adición de chalconas sintéticas está en relación con el microorganismo evaluado y la proporción utilizada.