Antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidative effects of water- and ethanol-extracted Brazilian propolis

Because it possesses anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antiviral, and tissue regenerative properties, propolis has been used thousands of years in folk medicine for multiple purposes. Although the antimicrobial activity of propolis has already been demonstrated, very few studies have been conducted on bacteria of clinical relevance in dentistry. The aim of this study is to evaluate the antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidative activities of 0.1% and 1.0% propolis, both of water-extracted (proAQ) and ethanol-extracted (proAL) propolis, for industrial applications. In studies of antimicrobial activity, the growth of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 35556, Salmonella enteritidis ATCC 12021, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Candida parapsilosis KCCM 35428, all general food or clinical pathogens were tested. The culture medium used was trypticase soy broth including 0.6% yeast extract; after 6 hr of incubation, the turbidities were measured at 620 nm with a spectrophotometer. The results indicate that the antimicrobial effects of both 1.0% proAQ and 1.0% proAL were greater against the growth of S. aureus ATCC 35556 and C. parapsilosis KCCM 35428 rather than those of S. enteritidis ATCC 12021 and E. coli O157:H7. Additionally, it appears that the anti-inflammatory effects of proAL are greater than those of proAQ. The anti-inflammatory effects were evaluated by measurement of the inhibition of hyaluronidase activity in vitro. At a 1% concentration, the anti-inflammatory effects of proAL were greater than those of proAQ. Finally, the anti-oxidative effects of 1% and 10% solutions of each extract sample were measured according to the TBA method at 40 degrees C for 1, 2, 3, and 5 days and were compared with 1.0% BHT. The results indicate that the anti-oxidative effects at 0.1% for both proAQ and proAL were not significantly different than the anti-oxidative effects at 1.0% BHT (p < 0.05). Thus, it appeared that the alcohol-extracted propolis had greater antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidative effects than the water-extracted propolis. This is based on the presumption that major biofunctional components were fat-soluble, rather than water-soluble.