Effect of Ethanolic Propolis Extract from Tetragonula biroi Bees on the Growth of Human Cancer Cell Lines HeLa and MCF-7

Cervical and breast cancer are some of the deadliest forms of cancer that may occur in women. According to the Indonesian Ministry of Health, cervical and breast cancer makes up 0.8% of all cancer cases in Indonesia. Conventional treatment methods such as chemotherapy have many disadvantages such as stomach problems, hair loss, darkening of the skin, and nausea. Therefore, a form of therapy that specifically targets cancer cells has been a hot topic in novel researches. The aim of this research explores the effect of propolis from Indonesian bee Tetragonula biroi on human cancer cell lines HeLa and MCF-7. Ethanolic extract of Propolis was obtained from raw propolis. 250 ppm of the samples was added to the cell lines. Subsequently, propolis' activity in inhibiting cell growth was analyzed using the MTT Assay method. The inhibition percentage was then obtained. The propolis extracts were also analyzed by LCMS/MS to identify anticancer components that exist, also with Spectrophotometer UV-Vis to identify the amount of flavonoids and polifenols present in the extract. The results show that rough propolis has the higher cytotoxic effect with inhibition percentages of 92.42% for MCF-7 and 86.81% for HeLa cells, while smooth propolis inhibits MCF-7 growth by 87.60% and HeLa by 77.27%. It may be concluded in this study that while propolis has potential as an anticancer agent, future research is still very much needed.