Propolis Shows Anti-Inflammatory, Antibiotic, Antioxidative, Anticancer, Antifungal, Anesthetic, and Cytostatic Effects

3.3. Propolis

BUY Concentrated Propolis in Veggie Capsules 

Propolis or bee glue is a resinous substance that bees collect from various living plants for construction and adaptation of their nests, consisting of three major components: flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE). As a functional food, it has a range of biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antioxidative, anticancer, antifungal, anesthetic, and cytostatic effects. In Caco-2 cells and in rats, propolis protects intestinal barrier function by increasing expression of tight junction loci occludin and zonula occluden and activating AMP-activated protein kinase and extracellular regulated protein kinase signaling. In intestinal epithelial cells, CAPE, as an active constituent of honeybee propolis, inhibits nuclear factor- (NF-) κB signaling and TNF-induced and IFN-induced protein- (IP-) 10 expression, independently of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and HO-1 signaling pathways, revealing its anti-inflammatory effect.