Propolis Induces Programmed Death in Human Bladder Cancer Cells

Apoptotic and Anti-angiogenic effects of propolis against human bladder cancer: Molecular docking and in vitro screening

Biomarkers. 2021 Dec 20;1-13

Introduction; Bladder cancer is still of unknown initiation and progression, it is difficult to treat the patient once bladder cancer have a distant metastasis.

Materials and Methods: In the present study, propolis extract was evaluated against bladder cancer cells (T24). Two independent pathways were investigated, apoptosis and angiogenesis, Bax, Bcl-2, P53, and caspase-3 for apoptosis, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor and protein kinase A as angiogenesis potential targets.

Objectives: Molecular docking studies will be conducted for the major known constituents of Egyptian propolis into apoptotic and angiogenic protein targets, to give better insights to the possible binding mode and interactions and investigate the ability of propolis constituents to target both apoptotic and angiogenic pathways.

Results: Propolis showed anti proliferative activity against T24 cancer cell line, IC50 value was 6.36 µg/ml. Also significant effects of propolis on Bax, Bcl-2, P53, and caspase-3 were observed. Discussion: These obtained results proved the ability of propolis to induce cell death. Also it has revealed noticeable effects on protein kinase A and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor.

Conclusion: The obtained results can encourage us to say that propolis extract can induce a programmed cell death in human bladder cancer cells, and also affect angiogenesis.

Stingless Bee Propolis May Help Treat Cancer

Cytotoxicity effect of honey, bee pollen, and propolis from seven stingless bees in some cancer cell lines

Saudi J Biol Sci. 2021 Dec;28(12):7182-7189

Our effort to find new material for anti cancer from natural resources leads us to focus on stingless bee products such as honey, bee pollen, and propolis. The products were from seven stingless bees named Homotrigona fimbriata, Heterotrigona itama, Heterotrigona bakeri, Tetragonula sarawakensis, Tetragonula testaceitarsis, Tetragonula fuscobalteata, Tetragonula laeviceps. The stingless bee products were evaluated for their cytotoxicity effect on MCF-7, HeLa and Caco-2 cancer cell lines.

This is the first time to be reported that the honey, ethanol extracts of bee pollen and propolis of H. fimbriata displayed more potent cytotoxicity than other stingless bee products.

By chromatography and biological activity-guided fractionation, ethanol extract of propolis from H. fimbriata was fractionated and isolated its active compound named mangiferonic acid. Mangiferonic acid showed a cytotoxicity effect with IC50 values 96.76 µM in MCF-7, > 110.04 µM in HeLa, and > 110.04 µM in Caco-2, respectively.

These results exhibited the potential of ethanol extracts from propolis of H. fimbriata to be further developed for drug and experiments to verify the function are essential.