In vitro antifungal activity of propolis samples of Czech and Slovak origin

Abstract

Propolis has been used in traditional folk medicine for ages owing to a number of biological effects. Four propolis samples of Czech and one of Slovak origin were extracted using Soxhlet apparatus and analysed by thin-layer chromatography. Raw propolis samples and their extracts were tested by microdilution broth method to determine minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) in eight strains of human pathogenic fungi. Raw propolis samples showed a lower in vitro antifungal activity than their extracts. In general, the petroleum ether extracts exhibited the highest in vitro antifungal activity (MIC range of 16-64 µg/ml). The content of flavonoids in the samples varied according to region. The highest amount of flavonoids was found in sample A that originated from Broumov (4%). The most susceptible to the propolis extracts were Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Candida albicans. The propolis samples of Czech and Slovak origin and their extracts showed a considerable in vitro antifungal effect which was associated especially with nonpolar petroleum ether and toluene extracts. There was only a partial correlation between flavonoids content and in vitro antifungal activity.

Promising Antimicrobial Properties of Bioactive Compounds from Different Honeybee Products

“…Products of natural origin have been used in traditional medicine for centuries, and the beneficial properties of bee products have been known since ancient times [ 1 ]. Even though honeybee products have different chemical compositions, they exhibit similar properties, such as antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative and antioxidant properties [ 2 , 3 ].…”

“…In addition, propolis may contain mechanical admixtures such as dust, pollen, fragments of dead animals and hive structures. These admixtures are removed during technological processing, and the ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP), obtained as a result of extraction, is a rich set of biologically active substances, including flavonoids, phenolic acids and their esters, lipid-wax substances, bioelements and others [ 1 ]. Therefore, propolis shows antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antiallergic, immunomodulatory and anticancer properties [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”

“…Chemically, it is a rich protein–carbohydrate–lipid product with a powerful cell- and tissue-stimulating effect. It exhibits immunostimulatory, anti-inflammatory, antitumor and antimicrobial effects [ 1 , 17 ]. The presence of antimicrobial properties of RJ with respect to Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was scientifically demonstrated for the first time by McCleskey and Melampy in 1939 [ 18 ].…”

Antifungal and Antibacterial Effect of Propolis: A Comparative Hit for Food-Borne Pseudomonas, Enterobacteriaceae and Fungi

“…Products of natural origin have been used in traditional medicine for throughout history and represent a potential source of new drugs. Propolis is an example of such a remedy with an interesting antimicrobial activity known since the time of ancient Egyptians and Greeks [1].…”

Czech Ethanol‐Free Propolis Extract Displays Inhibitory Activity against a Broad Spectrum of Bacterial and Fungal Pathogens

“…Data on propolis of the Czech origin are scarce. Only 2 recent marginal reports addressed its mechanisms of action (Savickas and others , Buchta and others ). The microbial pathogens tested in this study include both the reference species with well‐described response toward various propolis extracts (for example, Staphylococcus aureus ), as well as those with only poorly known response to propolis and its compounds (for example, Listeria monocytogenes ).…”