Dear Jamesyl,
Thank you for your question on bee propolis. As you mention, there is
a lot of speculation out there on the potential uses and qualities of
propolis. Here is a page from AIDS.org that discusses some of these
issues, attempting to document some of the anecdotal evidence out
there:
http://www.aids.org/atn/a-037-01.html
From more scientific sources, there are only a few reputable studies.
Below is a bibliography (limited to articles in English that refer to
humans) on bee propolis from PubMed. These papers should also point
you to other sources of information. In particular, the full text of
reference [11] with links to it's references is available online at
the link below.
As the Koo et al. article (reference [5]) states, "Propolis, a
resinous bee product, has been shown to inhibit the growth of oral
microorganisms." Reference [11] below discusses the effects of the
components of propolis against herpes simplex virus, although these
experiments were carried out in cell culture, not living humans. The
Koo article itself discusses the effects of components of propolis
against various bacteria, trying to begin to understand the mechanism
by which propolis' antibacterial properties act. Reference [9] below
documents the weak antibacterial properties of propolis again
gram-positive bacteria (such as staph aureas) in vitro.
It should also be noted, as you might gather from the bibliography
below, that multiple studies have demonstrated that propolis can cause
contact dermatitis from direct or airborne contact. This has been
documented near beehives and in a beeswax nipple-protective product.
No large-scale clinical trials of propolis have been conducted (much
like most other natural and herbal products) yet.
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Citation 1.
Unique Identifier
15209819
Authors
Garrido Fernandez S. Arroabarren Aleman E. Garcia Figueroa BE.
Goienetxe Fagoaga E. Olaguibel Rivera JM. Tabar Purroy AI.
Institution
Seccion de Alergologia, Hospital Virgen del Camino, Pamplona, Spain.
saragarrido@hotmail.com
Title
Direct and airborne contact dermatitis from propolis in
beekeepers.[erratum appears in Contact Dermatitis. 2005 Jan;52(1):55
Note: Fernandez, Sara Garrido [corrected to Garrido Fernandez, Sara;
Aleman, Esozia Arroabarren [corrected to Arroabarren Aleman, Esozia];
Figueroa, Blanca Esther Garcia [correted to Garcia Figueroa, Blanca
Esther]; Fagoaga, Estibaliz Goienetxe [corrected to Goienetxe Fagoaga,
Estibaliz]; Rivera, Jose Maria Olaguibel [corrected to Olaguibel
Rivera, Jose Maria]; Purroy, Ana Isabel Tabar [corrected to Tabar
Purroy, Ana Isabel]].
Source
Contact Dermatitis. 50(5):320-1, 2004 May.
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Citation 2.
Unique Identifier
14996072
Authors
Tobin AM. Kirby B.
Institution
Department of Dermatology, Adelaide and Meath Hospital Incorporating
the National Children's Hospital, Tallaght, Dublin 24, Ireland.
annemarie.tobin@amnch.ie
Title
Airborne contact dermatitis induced by a neighbour's beehives.
Source
Contact Dermatitis. 49(4):214-5, 2003 Oct.
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Citation 3.
Unique Identifier
12713401
Authors
Chen CN. Wu CL. Shy HS. Lin JK.
Institution
Graduate Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of
Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 1, Jen-ai Road,
Taipei, Taiwan 100, Republic of China.
Title
Cytotoxic prenylflavanones from Taiwanese propolis.
Source
Journal of Natural Products. 66(4):503-6, 2003 Apr.
Abstract
Two new prenylflavanones, propolin A (2) and propolin B (3), were
isolated and characterized from Taiwanese propolis. Both compounds
were found to have cytotoxic properties against three cancer cell
lines. DNA content analyses and DNA fragmentation indicated that
propolin A (2) efficiently induced apoptosis in cancer cell lines, but
had no effect on the cell cycle program. Furthermore, both propolin A
(2) and B (3) are potential antioxidant agents and show strong
scavenging effects against most types of free radicals.
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Citation 4.
Unique Identifier
12064743
Authors
Cuesta-Rubio O. Frontana-Uribe BA. Ramirez-Apan T. Cardenas J.
Institution
Instituto de Farmacia y Alimentos, Universidad de la Habana, Cuba.
Title
Polyisoprenylated benzophenones in cuban propolis; biological activity
of nemorosone.
Source
Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. Section C. Journal of Biosciences.
57(3-4):372-8, 2002 Mar-Apr.
Abstract
The Copey tree (Clusia rosea) has a large distribution in Cuba and its
floral resin is a rich source of polyisoprenylated benzophenones. To
determine the presence of these natural products, we carried out a
study by HPLC of 21 propolis samples produced by honey bees (Apis
mellifera) from different provinces of Cuba. Nemorosone resulted to be
the most abundant polyisoprenylated benzophenone and the mixture of
xanthochymol and guttiferone E was also observed, but in minor
proportion. We studied the biological activity of the pure natural
product nemorosone and its methyl derivatives. We found that
nemorosone has cytotoxic activity against epitheloid carcinoma (HeLa),
epidermoid carcinoma (Hep-2), prostate cancer (PC-3) and central
nervous system cancer (U251). It also exhibited antioxidant capacity.
Methylated nemorosone exhibited less biological activity than the
natural product.
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Citation 5.
Unique Identifier
11959560
Authors
Koo H. Rosalen PL. Cury JA. Park YK. Bowen WH.
Institution
Center for Oral Biology and Eastman Department of Dentistry,
University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York 14642,
USA. Hyun_Koo@urmc.rochester.edu
Title
Effects of compounds found in propolis on Streptococcus mutans growth
and on glucosyltransferase activity.
Source
Antimicrobial Agents & Chemotherapy. 46(5):1302-9, 2002 May.
Abstract
Propolis, a resinous bee product, has been shown to inhibit the growth
of oral microorganisms and the activity of bacterium-derived
glucosyltransferases (GTFs). Several compounds, mainly polyphenolics,
have been identified in this natural product. The present study
evaluated the effects of distinct chemical groups found in propolis on
the activity of GTF enzymes in solution and on the surface of
saliva-coated hydroxyapatite (sHA) beads. Thirty compounds, including
flavonoids, cinnamic acid derivatives, and terpenoids, were tested for
the ability to inhibit GTFs B, C, and D from Streptococcus mutans and
GTF from S. sanguinis (GTF Ss). Flavones and flavonols were potent
inhibitors of GTF activity in solution; lesser effects were noted on
insolubilized enzymes. Apigenin, a 4',5,7-trihydroxyflavone, was the
most effective inhibitor of GTFs, both in solution (90.5 to 95%
inhibition at a concentration of 135 microg/ml) and on the surface of
sHA beads (30 to 60% at 135 microg/ml). Antibacterial activity was
determined by using MICs, minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs),
and time-kill studies. Flavanones and some dihydroflavonols, as well
as the sesquiterpene tt-farnesol, inhibited the growth of S. mutans
and S. sobrinus; tt-farnesol was the most effective antibacterial
compound (MICs of 14 to 28 microg/ml and MBCs of 56 to 112 microg/ml).
tt-Farnesol (56 to 112 microg/ml) produced a 3-log-fold reduction in
the bacterial population after 4 h of incubation. Cinnamic acid
derivatives had negligible biological activities. Several of the
compounds identified in propolis inhibit GTF activities and bacterial
growth. Apigenin is a novel and potent inhibitor of GTF activity, and
tt-farnesol was found to be an effective antibacterial agent.
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Citation 6.
Unique Identifier
11077178
Authors
Velikova M. Bankova V. Tsvetkova I. Kujumgiev A. Marcucci MC.
Institution
Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry,
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria.
Title
Antibacterial ent-kaurene from Brazilian propolis of native stingless bees.
Source
Fitoterapia. 71(6):693-6, 2000 Dec.
Abstract
Three ent-kaurene diterpenoids, not previously described as
constituents of propolis, were isolated from a sample collected by
Brazilian native bees Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides. One of
them, kaurenoic acid, as well as the total extract, displayed moderate
antibacterial activity.
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Citation 7.
Unique Identifier
9095956
Authors
Trevelyan J.
Title
Spirit of the beehive.
Source
Nursing Times. 93(7):72-4, 1997 Feb 12-18.
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Citation 8.
Unique Identifier
8706416
Authors
Garcia M. del Pozo MD. Diez J. Munoz D. de Corres LF.
Institution
Servicio de Alergologia, Hospital Santiago Apostol, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
Title
Allergic contact dermatitis from a beeswax nipple-protective.
Source
Contact Dermatitis. 33(6):440-1, 1995 Dec.
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Citation 9.
Unique Identifier
2110610
Authors
Brumfitt W. Hamilton-Miller JM. Franklin I.
Institution
Department of Medical Microbiology, Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead,
London, Great Britain.
Title
Antibiotic activity of natural products: 1. Propolis.
Source
Microbios. 62(250):19-22, 1990.
Abstract
Material extracted from propolis (bee glue) by alkaline aqueous
solvents or organic solvents showed weak inhibitory activity in vitro
against certain species of Gram-positive bacteria. No antimicrobial
activity was detected in urine from three volunteers who had taken 500
mg propolis three times a day for 3 days.
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Citation 10.
Unique Identifier
6653102
Authors
Takahashi M. Matsuo I. Ohkido M.
Title
Contact dermatitis due to honeybee royal jelly.
Source
Contact Dermatitis. 9(6):452-5, 1983 Nov.
Abstract
A woman who had ingested honeybee royal jelly as a nutrient, showed an
exacerbation of dermatitis when it was applied to her feet. A topical
fungicide also aggravated her skin lesions. Patch testing showed
positive reactions to the royal jelly, pyrrolnitrin in the fungicide
and urushiol. Positive reactions to the royal jelly were found in 2
out of 10 controls, 1 of whom was sensitive to propolis.
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Citation 11.
Amoros, M., C. M. Simões, L. Girre, F. Sauvager, and M. Cormier. 1992.
Synergistic effect of flavones and flavonols against herpes simplex
virus type 1 in cell culture. Comparison with the antiviral activity
of propolis. J. Nat. Prod. 55:1732-1740.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=1338212
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Citation 12.
Burdock, G. A. 1998. Review of the biological properties and toxicity
of propolis. Food Chem. Toxicol. 36:341-363.
Abstract
Propolis is a multifunctional material used by bees in the
construction and maintenance of their hives. Use of propolis by humans
has a long history, predated only by the discovery of honey. Use of
products containing propolis have resulted in extensive dermal contact
and it is now increasingly being used a dietary supplement. Unlike
many 'natural' remedies, there is a substantive database on the
biological activity and toxicity of propolis indicating it may have
many antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral and antitumour properties,
among other attributes. Although reports of allergic reactions are not
uncommon, propolis is relatively non-toxic, with a no-effect level
(NOEL) in a 90-mouse study of 1400 mg/kg body weight/day.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=9651052
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I hope this information was helpful. Please feel free to ask for clarification.
Best,
-welte-ga |
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