Thursday, December 23, 2010

Propolis Alcohol and Oil Extracts Equally Effective at Inhibiting Tumor Growth

In vivo Antitumoral Activity and Composition of an Oil Extract of Brazilian Propolis
Food Chemistry, Article in Press

The present study aimed to evaluate in vivo and in vitro the antitumoral activity of a propolis extract obtained with edible vegetable oil and its fractions and also to investigate its chemical composition by LC-MS and LC-MS/MS.

To evaluate the toxicological aspects related to the propolis extract treatment, hematological, biochemical, histopathological and morphological analyses of treated animals were performed.

All propolis extracts showed an in vivo antitumor activity in the experimental model with a moderate toxicity effect at experimental exposure levels. The oil extract was as effective as the ethanolic extract at inhibiting tumor growth.

In vitro assays showed that the whole oil extract produced better inhibition of tumor cells than its fractions. LC-MS and LC-MS/MS identified 4 phenolic acids and 3 flavonoids.

The anticancer potential of the oil extract of propolis has been demonstrated and the edible vegetable oil was shown as an attractive alternative solvent to extract bioactive natural propolis components.

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