Phenolic Constituents, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity and Clustering Analysis of Propolis Samples Based on PCA from Different Regions of Anatolia

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the biochemical composition and biological activity of propolis samples from different regions of Türkiye to characterize and classify 24 Anatolian propolis samples according to their geographical origin. Chemometric techniques, namely, principal component analysis (PCA) and a hierarchical clustering algorithm (HCA), were applied for the first time to all data, including antioxidant capacity, individual phenolic constituents, and the antimicrobial activity of propolis to reveal the possible clustering of Anatolian propolis samples according to their geographical origin. As a result, the total phenolic content (TPC) of the propolis samples varied from 16.73 to 125.83 mg gallic acid equivalent per gram (GAE/g) sample, while the number of total flavonoids varied from 57.98 to 327.38 mg quercetin equivalent per gram (QE/g) sample. The identified constituents of propolis were phenolic/aromatic acids (chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and trans-cinnamic acid), phenolic aldehyde (vanillin), and flavonoids (pinocembrin, kaempferol, pinobanksin, and apigenin). This study has shown that the application of the PCA chemometric method to the biochemical composition and biological activity of propolis allows for the successful clustering of Anatolian propolis samples from different regions of Türkiye, except for samples from the Black Sea region.

Evaluation of the Chemical Profile and Antioxidant Capacity of Green, Brown, and Dark Propolis

“…The chemical composition of propolis is very diverse and complex. This chemical composition depends on factors such as the flora around the hive accessible to bees, collection time, and diversity of trees and plant species collected by bees [ 15 , 29 ], which justifies the different contents of total phenolic compounds among the three propolis types studied.…”

“…This variety of propolis has more than 200 identified chemical compounds. Among them, the polyphenolic compound artepellin C (3,5-diprenyl-4-hydroxycinnamic acid) is considered as the main bioactive compound, and the phenolic compounds bacarin and drupanin are described as chemical markers for this type of propolis, originating in B. dracunculifolia [ 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”

Applications of Romanian Propolis in Phyto-Inhibitory Activity and Antimicrobial Protection: A Comparative Study

“…For example, the total phenolic content of Polish propolis ranged from 150.05 to 197.14 mg/g GAE, while the total flavonoid content was 35.64-62.04 mg/g QE [32]. The phenolic content of propolis from Türkiye is 16.73 to 125.83 mg GAE/g sample, while the number of total flavonoids varied from 57.98 to 327.38 mg QE/g sample [33], depending on different geographical origins. The samples taken from all the regions of Romania accumulate large amounts of phenolic compounds (189.4 mg of GAE/g in sample 7 from the Dobruja region), while the highest total flavonoid content was determined for the same sample and is 85.19 mg QE/g.…”

Pinobanksin ameliorated DSS-induced acute colitis mainly through modulation of SLC7A11/glutathione-mediated intestinal epithelial ferroptosis

“…29 Pinobanksin is an imported typical flavonoid ubiquitously present in honey and different geographical and botanical propolis. 30 Based on the significant alleviation of colitis mediated by pinobanksin and the lack of significant toxicity in normal mice and cell lines, this honey bee-derived flavonoid may be an attractive candidate drug for IBD therapy.…”