Antioxidant, brine shrimp lethality and analgesic properties of propolis from Bangladesh

Abstract

Propolis which is a natural resinous product from the honeybees, is becoming increasingly popular for its diverse therapeutic and industrial applications. In this study, we report for the first time the antioxidant, cytotoxic, and antinociceptive activities of propolis from Bangladesh (BDP). The antioxidant activities were measured by biochemical analyses while cytotoxicity was evaluated by brine shrimp lethality bioassay. Analgesic activity was evaluated by tail immersion and acetic acid‐induced writhing models in mice. BDP contained higher concentrations of polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins, ascorbic acid, vitamin E, and reducing sugars, as compared to previous reports of propolis from several countries. BDP also exhibited higher free radical‐scavenging activities and a dose‐dependent reducing power activity indicating its superior antioxidant potential. Moreover, BDP extract was most toxic to brine shrimp nauplii, with 50% lethal concentration (LC50) of 57.99 µg/mL and exhibited considerable antinociceptive activities which may be mediated via central and peripheral inhibitory mechanisms. Practical applications BDP is a honeybee product, becoming increasingly popular due its potential contributions to human health. BDP is a rich source of natural antioxidants which has the potential to be used to ameliorate oxidative stress disorders and has useful antinociceptive activities. It may be useful as potential therapeutic agents against cancer, pesticidal agents, and for other cytotoxic uses.

Ameliorative effects of ethanolic constituents of Bangladeshi propolis against tetracycline‐induced hepatic and renal toxicity in rats

“…The phenolics (including gallic acid, benzoic acid, salicylic acid, and pyrogallol), flavonoids (rutins), antioxidant vitamins (ascorbic acids and tocopherols), and others antioxidants/antiradicals in the ethanolic extract of Bangladeshi propolis (Tanvir et al, 2018) have synergistic effects which confer protection against TTC-induced histopathological alterations, and this may be via scavenging of free radicals and the regulation of cholesterol levels, which is consistent with the biochemical findings. The study lacks to establish any potential toxic effects of propolis in rats.…”

“…The findings of this study have indicated that propolis has potential protective effects against renal damage induced by toxic levels of TTC in animals. It is plausible that the presence of bioactive phenolic acids, flavonoids, tocopherol, and ascorbic acids in Bangladeshi propolis (Tanvir et al, ), may confer nephroprotection in animals, as reported in another study involving Croatian propolis on diabetic nephropathy (Oršolić et al, ), where antioxidant potential of the propolis have also been highlighted.…”

“…However, co‐treatment with propolis extract significantly reduced the serum SGPT, SGOT, and ALP levels in rats in comparison with the TTC‐alone treatment group, demonstrating that the possible action of propolis in maintaining membrane integrity and thus restricting the leakage of these enzymes. The protective mechanism can be attributed to the phenolic compounds (including gallic acid, benzoic acid, salicylic acid, pyrogallol, and rutin), tannins, ascorbic acid, and vitamin E in this propolis extract all of which have inhibitory activities on membrane lipid peroxidation with robust antioxidant activities (Ahmed et al, ; Hossen et al, ; Paulino et al, ; Tanvir et al, ). Moreover, a significant rise in the TB level following TTC administration is one of the most important clinical indicators of the severity of necrosis and the TP levels in serum may also indicate the severity of hepatic injury (Afroz, Tanvir, Hossain, et al, ).…”

“…In our study, supplementation with propolis extract restored the TB and TP levels, indicating the role of propolis in liver protection. It is plausible that the antioxidants present in the ethanolic extract of propolis (Tanvir et al, ) conferred protection of the liver by preserving the membrane integrity (Tanvir, Afroz, Chowdhury, et al, ).…”

“…Recently, we investigated the antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and anti‐nociceptive properties of propolis from Bangladesh and reported relatively high concentrations of total polyphenols (80.16 mg), flavonoids (10.95 mg), tannins (51.69 mg), ascorbic acid (19.51 mg), and reducing sugars (35.14 mg) per g of propolis (Tanvir et al, ). In addition, the propolis extract was highly reactive against free radicals with robust reducing potentials.…”