Pythium insidiosum: inhibitory effects of propolis and geopropolis on hyphal growth

Abstract

Propolis and geopropolis are resinous products of bees showing antimicrobial effects. There is no data concerning their action against Pythium insidiosum – the causative agent of pythiosis, a pyogranulomatous disease of the subcutaneous tissue that affects mostly horses, dogs and humans. Fragments of 15 isolates of P. insidiodum were incubated with propolis and geopropolis extracts and evaluated for up to seven days to detect the minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC). Propolis inhibited three isolates at 1.0 mg mL−1 after 24 h and all other isolates at 3.4 mg mL−1. Geopropolis led to more variable results, exerting predominantly a fungistatic action than a fungicidal one. Propolis was more efficient than geopropolis in inhibiting P. insidiosum since lower concentrations led to no growth after 24 h. This effect may be due to propolis chemical composition, which has more active compounds than geopropolis. Propolis seemed to be a good candidate for in vivo studies, since treatment with conventional antifungal compounds is difficult in most of the cases, requiring extensive surgical debridement.

Chemical Composition and Pharmacological Effects of Geopropolis Produced by Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides

“…Natural products represent a good source for the discovery of bioactive compounds with high antimicrobial activity, especially considering the complexity of the molecules present in these bioproducts [ 62 ]. The antimicrobial properties of geopropolis from other bee species have been described in other studies with Melipona fasciculata [ 2 , 63 ], Melipona orbignyi [ 7 ], Melipona scutellaris [ 10 , 11 ], and Melipona mondury [ 64 ], as well as the subspecies Melipona compressipes fasciculate [ 65 ].…”

Evaluation of antifungal effect and toxicity of xanthyletin and two bacterial metabolites against Thai isolates of Pythium insidiosum

“…It is well known that the therapy of pythiosis has posed a challenge in recent decades as the current treatment options are highly variable and often lead to failure 14 . Therefore, many studies have searched for antimicrobial agents, natural compounds or secondary metabolites from microorganisms against P. insidiosum and results of in vitro testing are quite promising 6,7,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21] . The present study evaluated antimicrobial effects against P. insidiosum of xanthyletin and two fractions of the crude extracts from P. stutzeri ST1302 and K. pneumoniae ST2501.…”

Beekeeping in Brazil: A Bibliographic Review

“…The LC/ESI/FTMS/Orbitrap and microbiological methods were sensitive and could distinguish the quality of the tinctures and the microcapsule compositions. Thus, the tinctures and microcapsules of the red propolis have a potential application for nutraceutical products 22 Araújo et al [32] In conclusion, propolis was more efficient in inhibiting mycelia growth of Pythium insidiosum, while geopropolis showed a fungistatic effect. This effect…”