Recent advances in analytical approaches for the standardization and quality of polyphenols of propolis

Abstract

Analytical approaches utilized for the characterization of polyphenols from propolis useful for the determination of its quality is investigated in this study. A qualitative and quantitative evaluation of propolis bioactive molecules is of interest in medicine and nutraceuticals. Recent powerful analytical techniques are of great utility to separate and quantify polyphenols in extracts and finished products due to their capacity to produce typical fingerprints and a reliable identification of many components. According to this, an HPLC-UV-MS procedure was validated and applied for the characterization and quantification of bioactive substances in propolis and for an accurate assessment of their content in extract samples. By using this analytical approach, we obtained specific compositions related to brown propolis acquired from different geographic areas (and preparations and treatment). This is more important by considering the scientific opinion of European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) which provided a negative response related to health claims of propolis and its polyphenols. These results prove that HPLC-MS is an attractive tool for the standardization and quality control of propolis and may be realistically applied to screen raw material and to evaluate finished commercial preparations and nutraceutical benefits.

Brazilian Brown Propolis: an Overview About Its Chemical Composition, Botanical Sources, Quality Control, and Pharmacological Properties

“…According to Rodrigues et al ( 2016 ), besides those traditional green propolis chemical markers, BP can also present lower concentrations of propenoic and cinnamic acid. Other phenolic compounds like chrysin, pinocembrin, galangin, caffeic acid phenylethyl ester, and pinobanksin-3- O -acetate have also been detected by HPLC–UV-ESI–MS analysis in Brazilian propolis samples (Fabio et al 2019 ).…”

“…Several analytical methods have been developed to analyze raw propolis and its commercial products. Many of them aim to identify the chemical components with biological activities, mainly phenolic compounds used as biomarkers/standards (Fabio et al 2019 ). It is challenging to develop analytical methods for propolis analysis because it bears a complex matrix demanding different methods’ approaches to analyze all the compound classes present in propolis (Pavlovic et al 2020 ).…”

“…For propolis’ polyphenol analysis, thin-layer chromatography (TLC), gas chromatography (GC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and capillary electrophoresis (CE) are the most used methods. HPLC coupled with photodiode array detector (DAD) is beneficial for polyphenol analysis, but HPLC coupled with a mass spectrometer (HPLC–MS) has gained space in propolis analysis, and it allows the identification of compounds in complex matrices (Fabio et al 2019 ).…”

Nonwoven Releasing Propolis as a Potential New Wound Healing Method—A Review

“…In the 1990s, it was proposed to characterize dry propolis by estimating the total content of phenolic substances, flavonoids, waxes, ash, volatile substances, and dry residue, as well as to characterize propolis tinctures by estimating the total content of phenolic substances, flavonoids, waxes, specific gravity, and ethanol [59]. Currently, the chromatographic methods are the methods of choice for the analysis of the most important propolis components, particularly high performance liquid chromatography combined with a photodiode array (HPLC-PDA) or mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) [60,61]. Additionally, techniques, such as capillary electrophoresis (CE), thin layer chromatography (TLC), gas chromatography (GC), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), are also being used for the analysis of propolis [61].…”

“…Currently, the chromatographic methods are the methods of choice for the analysis of the most important propolis components, particularly high performance liquid chromatography combined with a photodiode array (HPLC-PDA) or mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) [60,61]. Additionally, techniques, such as capillary electrophoresis (CE), thin layer chromatography (TLC), gas chromatography (GC), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), are also being used for the analysis of propolis [61]. The potential mass use of apitherapeutic agents would also require controlling the authenticity of a final product.…”