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Dietary artepillin C suppresses the formation of aberrant crypt foci induced by azoxymethane in mouse colon.

Artepillin C, a prenylated phenylpropanoid found specifically in Brazilian propolis, has been shown to be a bioavailable antioxidant. In this study, artepillin C was tested for colon cancer-preventing activity using azoxymethane-challenged ddY mice. Oral doses of 80 and 160 mg/kg body weight of propolis or 10mg/kg of artepillin C (equi-amounts to 160 mg propolis) reduced significantly the frequency of colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF) by 39.2, 43.7 and 43.4%, respectively. In liver of the mice, glutathione S-transferase and NADPH:quinone reductase activity increased with the doses of propolis or artepillin C, and an antioxidant-responsive element (ARE) was found to be activated for binding DNA. Artepillin C is considered to suppress the formation of colonic ACF through the activation of ARE and induction of phase II enzymes in liver.

Animals↗

Advances in the analysis of phenolic compounds in products derived from bees.

Honey and propolis are rich in phenolic compounds, which act as natural antioxidants, and are becoming increasingly popular because of their potential role in contributing to human health. These compounds can also be used as indicators in studies into the floral and geographical origin of the honey and propolis themselves. We present here an overview of current analytical methods for measuring polyphenols in honey and propolis. The analytical procedure to determine individual phenolic compounds involves their extraction from the sample, analytical separation and quantification. The techniques reviewed are based on spectrophotometry as well as analytical separation techniques such as gas chromatography, high-pressure liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis.

Anti-Infective Agents↗

Honeybees and their products as potential bioindicators of heavy metals contamination.

The concentrations of three representative heavy metals (cadmium, chromium and lead) were measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy in honeybees and in apiary's products (honey, pollen, propolis, and wax). Samples were collected from five different sampling points: four from areas surrounding the city of Rome, and the fifth in the city center which receives intense vehicular traffic. All apiaries employed for this study were specifically constructed without any metal part in order to avoid the risk of contamination of the assayed materials. Sample collection was conducted over a 3-month period (6 samplings for honey and pollen, 3 sampling for propolis and wax, 2 samplings for honeybees, all of which were collected in duplicate). Experimental data revealed, in general, statistically significant differences between the background levels of heavy metals recorded from the reference sites and the levels measured in the site located in the center of the city of Rome. These results indicate that honeybees and, to a lesser extent, some of their products (pollen, propolis, wax, but not honey), can be considered representative bioindicators of environmental pollution.

Animals↗

Detection of antimicrobials in bee products with activity against viridans streptococci.

OBJECTIVES: Bee products have been studied extensively for their healing properties and have become part of cosmetic preparations and folk medicine. The major objective of this study was to examine the presence of antimicrobials in various bee products. DESIGN: Propolis, honeycomb lids, pollen, honeycombs, and honey were screened for antimicrobial compounds. Viridans streptococci were used as indicator strains. Ethanol extracts were applied onto paper disks, dried, and put on the surface of nutrient agar plates with the overlay containing viridans streptococci. The plates were then incubated and evaluated the next day for the presence of inhibition zones. The size of the inhibition zone represented a quantitative measure of antimicrobial activity in a sample. Thin-layer chromatography was used for separation of compounds in the samples and biodetection-an overlay with indicator strain-identified the antimicrobial compounds by formation of inhibition zones. RESULTS: Ethanol extracts of propolis and honeycomb lids, as well as honey containing honeycomb lids contained a mixture of antimicrobial compounds in various amounts. Thin-layer chromatography experiments with two different solvent systems differing in polarity suggested that major antimicrobials present in the samples prepared from honeycomb lids, honeycombs, pollen, and propolis have similar properties. These active compounds were not extremely hydrophobic. CONCLUSIONS: Extracts from the tested samples of bee products exhibited antimicrobial properties at various levels depending on the sample and bacterial species used for testing. Using chromatographic techniques, we demonstrated similar properties of the active compounds in various active samples. In conclusion, our results suggest that honey containing honeycomb lids may be a beneficial food supplement because of the presence of antibacterial compounds.

Animals↗

Diverse biological activities of healthy foods.

Diverse biological activities of 7 healthy foods [powdered pine needle, citrate-fermented sesame, powdered coffee, royal jelly, propolis, pollen and white sesame oil (extracted by super critical state (40 degrees C, 350 atmospheric pressure))] were investigated. The pine needle, sesame and powdered coffee was also extracted successively by ethanol and hot water, and lyophilized. The pine needle and coffee extracts, and propolis showed higher in vitro cytotoxic, bactericidal and oxidation activity, as compared with other 4 lipophilic healthy foods. However, propolis showed slightly lower, but significant cytotoxic and bactericidal activity with much reduced oxidation potential. ESR spectroscopy demonstrated that the cytotoxic activity of these extracts was closely related to their radical generation and O2- scavenging activities. Healthy food components may have both pro-oxidant and anti-oxidant properties. Pre-treatment of mice with pine needle, sesame or powdered coffee extract significantly reduced the lethality of bacterial infection, possibly due to their host-mediated action. These extracts failed to reduce the cytophatic effect of HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus) infection in MT-4 cells. No apparent acute toxicity was detected in mice by oral administration of 10 g/kg of these extracts. This data suggest the medicinal efficacy of healthy foods.

Animals↗

Effect of caffeic acid esters on carcinogen-induced mutagenicity and human colon adenocarcinoma cell growth.

Propolis, a honey bee hive product, is thought to exhibit a broad spectrum of activities including antibiotic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and tumor growth inhibition; some of the observed biological activities may be due to caffeic acid (cinnamic acid) esters that are present in propolis. In the present study we synthesized three caffeic acid esters, namely methyl caffeate (MC), phenylethyl caffeate (PEC) and phenylethyl dimethylcaffeate (PEDMC) and tested them against the 3,2'-dimethyl-4-aminobiphenyl, (DMAB, a colon and mammary carcinogen)-induced mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA 98 and TA 100. Also, the effect of these agents on the growth of human colon adenocarcinoma, HT-29 cells and activities of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) was studied. Mutagenicity was induced in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA 98 and TA 100 plus S9 activation using 5 and 10 micrograms DMAB and antimutagenic activities of 0-150 microM MC, 0-60 microM PEC and 0-80 microM PEDMC were determined. The results indicate that MC, PEC and PEDMC were not mutagenic in the Salmonella tester system. DMAB-induced mutagenicity was significantly inhibited with 150 microM MC, 40-60 microM PEC and 40-80 microM PEDMC in both tester systems. Treatment of HT-29 colon adenocarcinoma cells with > 150 microM MC, 30 microM PEC and 20 microM PEDMC significantly inhibited the cell growth and syntheses of RNA, DNA and protein. ODC and PTK activities were also inhibited in HT-29 cells treated with different concentrations of MC, PEC and PEDMC. These results demonstrate that caffeic acid esters which are present in Propolis possess chemopreventive properties when tested in short-term assay systems.

Caffeic Acids↗

Clinical parameters, postmortem analysis and estimation of lethal dose in victims of a massive intoxication with diethylene glycol.

This work analyzes a massive intoxication that occurred in 1992 in Argentina as a result of the use of propolis syrup as a popular upper respiratory infection medicinal agent. The intoxicating agent was diethylene glycol (DEG), which caused metabolic acidosis, anuria, renal failure and death in 15 out of the 29 studied victims. DEG poisoning cases were classified in three groups according to survival time: Group 1-patients that survived up to 3 days; Group 2-patients that survived between 4 and 5 days; Group 3-patients that survived between 6 and 21 days. Patients from Group 1 showed the highest values of anion gap, the lowest measures of base excess (BE) and more severe clinical manifestations. Correlation between pH and BE was r(2) = 0.68, 0.99 and 0.55 for Groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively. A methanolic extraction was performed on the fatal victims' viscera and blood, with subsequent concentration and purification. The semi-crystalline fraction obtained retained DEG by means of co-dissolution and adsorption as demonstrated by thin lay chromatography/flame ionisation detection (TLC/FID). In 3 out of the 15 fatal cases (from Group 1), DEG was isolated from viscera and blood (femoral venous), between 48 and 72 h post ingestion. The concentration relation (DEG)viscera/(DEG)blood ranged from 1.45 to 1.55 with a coefficient correlation r(2)=0.96 (n=3). In the other victims, DEG could not be detected. The reason for this could be the long survival period of the victims after their ingestion of the syrup. Additionally, putrefying mechanisms could have been operating. Samples of the propolis syrup of each victim were studied by means of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and quantified by gas chromatography/flame ionisation detection (GC/FID). Results showed that syrup samples contained 65.0% (w/v) of diethylene glycol (DEG) and 32.0% (w/v) of propylene glycol (PG). A good correlation between the amount of DEG ingested and the anion gap (r(2)=0.63) for the 15 victims studied could be observed. The lethal dose for human beings estimated in this work ranged from 0.014 to 0.170 mg DEG/kg body weight. This is a lower lethal dose than reported in a separate incident in Haiti. These results may contribute to the understanding of DEG's metabolic pathway and provides data from lethal doses in humans.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗

Effects of chrysin on urinary testosterone levels in human males.

The equilibrium of sexual hormones in both sexes is controlled in vertebrates by the enzyme aromatase, a member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily, which catalyzes the conversion of androstenedione and testosterone into estrone and estradiol, respectively. Flavonoids are diphenolic compounds present in whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables that are strongly implicated as protective in coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer. One flavonoid, chrysin, found in high concentrations in honey and propolis, has been shown to be an inhibitor of aromatase enzyme activity. These foods are often used as supplements, particulary by sportsmen for their energetic and antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to verify if daily treatment for 21 days with propolis and honey, containing chrysin, would modify urinary concentrations of testosterone in volunteer male subjects. In fact, aromatase inhibition by chrysin could block the conversion of androgens into estrogens with a consequent increase of testosterone, eventually measurable in urine samples. The obtained data did not show alterations of the levels of testosterone in the volunteers after 7, 14, and 21 days of treatment in comparison with baseline values and compared with measurements on the control subjects at the same time. In conclusion, the use of these foods for 21 days at the doses usually taken as oral supplementation does not have effects on the equilibrium of testosterone in human males.

Administration, Oral↗

Contact allergy to farnesol in 2021 consecutively patch tested patients. Results of the IVDK.

Farnesol is one of the fragrances considered to be a significant contact allergen. Therefore, it was decided by the European Union to label products containing farnesol. Farnesol was tested [5% petrolatum (pet.)] together with the standard series between 1 January 2003 and 30 June 2003 in 2021 consecutive patients, 1243 females and 778 males. Of these, 22 [1.1%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.7-1.6%] had a positive reaction to farnesol. 147 (8.1%) of those 1825 tested to Myroxylon pereirae resin (balsam of Peru, 25% pet.) at the same time reacted positively, 143 (7.8%) of those 1823 tested to the fragrance mix (FM) (8% pet.) and 34 (1.9%) of 1831 tested to propolis (10% pet.). With regard to concomitant reactions in farnesol-positive patients, 5 of 22 reacted additionally to the FM [odds ratio (OR): 4.3; CI: 1.53-12.15] and 2 (of these 5) additionally to M. pereirae resin (OR: 1.27; CI: 0.29-5.54). The strongest association was seen to propolis (OR: 6.2; 95% CI: 1.4-27.7). Compared to those with negative reactions to farnesol, the group of patients allergic to farnesol was characterized by a higher proportion of young females and office workers, and the hand and the face were more often affected. In conclusion, farnesol is an important allergen. We recommend that farnesol should be included in a fragrance patch-test preparation and that its use should be regulated for consumer safety reasons. Furthermore, the extent of exposure to farnesol should be further studied.

Adult↗

Natural medicaments in endodontics -- a comparative study of the anti-inflammatory action.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the irritant potential of propolis, Casearia sylvestris, Otosporin and saline solution (control). Twenty-eight male Wistar rats were selected, anesthetized and four experimental sites were designed on their backs. Injections of 2% Evans blue were intravenously administered in the lateral caudal vein and 0.1 ml of the tested solutions was injected intradermally into the experimental sites. The animals were killed 1/2, 1, 3 and 6 hours after the injection of the solutions. Each piece of skin containing the lesion was immersed in formamide and incubated at 45 masculine C for 72 h. After filtration, optical density was measured in a spectrophotometer. Data were statistically analyzed by a 2-way non-parametric test. The highest values of extracted dye were observed at 3 hours characterizing a peak in the inflammatory process. Propolis was the least irritant solution. The natural medicaments tested in this study may be a valuable alternative for endodontic treatment.

Animals↗