Benzophenones Boost Antimicrobial Activity of Tropical Propolis

Bioassay Guided Purification of the Antimicrobial Fraction of a Brazilian Propolis from Bahia State
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2009, Published: 30 July 2009

Background

Brazilian propolis type 6 (Atlantic forest, Bahia) is distinct from the other types of propolis especially due to absence of flavonoids and presence of other non-polar, long chain compounds, but presenting good in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial activity. Several authors have suggested that fatty acids found in this propolis might be responsible for its antimicrobial activity; however, so far no evidence concerning this finding has been reported in the literature. The goals of this study were to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the main pure fatty acids in the ethanolic extract and fractions and elucidate the chemical nature of the bioactive compounds isolated from Brazilian propolis type 6.

Methods

Brazilian propolis type 6 ethanolic extract (EEP), hexane fraction (H-Fr), major fatty acids, and isolated sub-fractions were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), high resolution gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (HRGC-FID), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Three sub-fractions of H-Fr were obtained through preparative HPLC. Antimicrobial activity of EEP, H-Fr, sub-fractions, and fatty acids were tested against Staphyloccus aureus ATCC 25923 and Streptococcus mutans Ingbritt 1600 using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC).

Results

EEP and H-Fr inhibited the growth of the microorganisms tested; nevertheless, no antimicrobial activity was found for the major fatty acids. The three sub-fractions (1, 2, and 3) were isolated from H-Fr by preparative HPLC and only sub-fraction 1 showed antimicrobial activity.

Conclusions

a) The major fatty acids tested were not responsible for the antimicrobial activity of propolis type 6; b) Sub-fraction 1, belonging to the benzophenone class, was responsible for the antimicrobial activity observed in the present study. The identification of the bioactive compound will improve the development of more efficient uses of this natural product…

Benzophenones are among the most important chemical compounds identified and isolated from propolis found in tropical regions. They have been reported as having various biological activities, such as potential antimicrobial activity against both Grampositive and Gram-negative bacteria.

Honey Bees Warn Each Other of Danger

The Honeybee Waggle Warning
redOrbit, 7/31/2009

Scientists have discovered that honeybees warn each other of dangerous flowers that might be harboring predators in wait.

This warning system was found by planting dead bees on flowers and observing how other bees respond to the sign of danger.

The bees did not just avoid the flowers; they also went on to communicate the threat to the hive through their famous waggle dance.

The discovery is published in the journal Animal Behavior…

Video: Honey Oozes from Walls of Colorado Home

Broomfield Man Finds New Meaning In Home 'Sweet' Home

BROOMFIELD, Colo. -- When T.J. Graves returned from vacation last week, he found new meaning in the expression "home sweet home."

"I went up to my front step, and there were two pools of something," said Graves. "When I tried mopping it up, it was really sticky and gooey."

Graves said a brave friend did a taste test to figure out what it was.

"(He) stuck his finger in, tasted it and said, 'Yeah, that's honey,'" Graves said. "I wouldn't think it's a good thing to have honey dripping out of your walls."

Plus, where there is honey, of course, there are bees…

New Method for Measuring Tryptophan in Bee Pollen, Royal Jelly

Determination of Tryptophan in Bee Pollen and Royal Jelly by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence Detection
Biomedical Chromatography, Early View (Articles online in advance of print)

A method for tryptophan analysis in bee pollen and royal jelly was developed using HPLC with fluorescence detection. To determine the free tryptophan in bee pollen and royal jelly, ultrasonic extraction was performed using water (pH 6.3)-acetonitrile (10:1, v/v) as extraction solvent…

The method was successfully applied to the determination of the free and total tryptophan contents in bee pollens, which were 0.069 ± 0.003 and 2.693 ± 0.476 mg/g, respectively, while only the total tryptophan was detected in royal jelly, with a content of 1.743 ± 0.066 mg/g.

Video: Local Honey Recommended for Allergies

Interest in Beekeeping Grows
By Cary Aspinwall, Tulsa World, 7/30/2009

Study: LDL Cholesterol Increased with Sugar, Not Honey

Effect of Honey on Serum Cholesterol and Lipid Values
J Med Food, 2009 Jun;12(3):624-8

Small studies have suggested that honey benefits patients with high cholesterol concentrations. The present study aimed to confirm this finding in a larger group of subjects.

Sixty volunteers with high cholesterol, stratified according to gender and hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitor (statin) treatment (yes/no), were randomized to receive 75 g of honey solution or a honey-comparable sugar solution once daily over a period of 14 days...

Neither solution influenced significantly cholesterol or triglyceride values in the total group; in women, however, the LDL cholesterol value increased in the sugar solution subgroup but not in the women taking honey. Although ingesting honey did not reduce LDL cholesterol values in general, women may benefit from substituting honey for sugar in their diet.

Reducing the BMI lowers the LDL cholesterol value, and psychological interventions also seem important and merit further investigation.

Bees Face Another Killer: Selenium

Toxin Could Affect Multibillion-Dollar Agricultural Industry
By Michael Reilly, Discovery News, 7/29/2009

Selenium, a potent toxin, is showing up in alarming concentrations in the pollen and nectar of two plants common in California's Central Valley, according to a new study.

If the element is finding its way into bee populations, it could affect the region's multi-billion dollar agricultural industry, as well as the nation's food supply.

The rocks, soil and groundwater of California's San Joaquin Valley contain some of the highest natural levels of selenium found anywhere — in some places up to 14 parts per million…

Increased Public Interest in Health Benefits of Bee Products

Bees in Their Bottom Line
By Sarah Perry, Fort Worth Weekly, 7/29/2009

…Much of the rising demand stems for increased public interest in the possible health effects of honey and other bee products. The Hibernation Diet, written by bee guru Mike McInness, suggests that two nightly spoonfuls of honey before bed can help people lose weight. Propolis, a tarry substance that bees produce from plants, is said to help heal wounds. But perhaps the most marketed health benefit is that locally produced honey can help people fight allergies.

If you Google "local honey allergies" about 450,000 results appear. Publications like Self magazine, Consumer Health Digest, and the Sacramento Press all report the stories of people whose allergies have disappeared after eating the natural sweetener…

Beehive Extract Coming to the Tour de France?

By Janet Raloff, Science News, 7/29/2009

Lance Armstrong take note: A new study indicates an extract of propolis, a honeybee product, holds promise for helping endurance cyclists cope more effectively with the heat stress that develops during long-distance rides. That heat can diminish an athlete’s performance by fostering fatigue and dehydration.

Propolis is a resinous material that bees fashion from plant saps and the like. They use it to not only caulk small spaces in their hive but also to insulate and reinforce the hive’s support structures. But folk medicine has found plenty of uses, too, for propolis over the years — primarily in treating everything from burns and sore throats to impaired immunity. This gummy substance may even hold promise in fighting dental caries.

A key ingredient in propolis — caffeic acid phenethyl ester, or CAPE — exhibits strong antioxidant activity. So it can quench some of those tissue-damagingfree radicals that the body produces during illness and stress.

A team of researchers headed by Yu-Jen Chen and Jasson Chiang of the Chinese Culture University’s Graduate Institute of Sport Coaching Science, in Taipei, is now probing CAPE’s potential to protect certain white blood cells. Known as mononuclear cells, these immune-system players tackle infection by inducing localized inflammation. They can also cause damage by triggering inappropriate or overzealous inflammation…

Propolis Prevents Eye Damage Caused by Alcohol Intake

Propolis Prevents the Effects of Chronic Alcohol Intake on Ocular Tissues
Ophthalmic Res, 2009 Jul 23;42(3):147-151

This study is designed to investigate the protective effects of propolis in ocular tissues against chronic alcohol exposure.

Material and Method: Wistar albino rats were used in this study. Rats were divided into 4 groups, and each group was fed a special liquid diet which contained an equal amount of calories. The control group was fed the liquid special diet without alcohol and propolis. We added propolis (150 mg/kg) to the diet of the second group. The diet of the third group contained alcohol, the concentration of which was increased progressively. The fourth group was fed a diet including propolis and alcohol…

Results: In the histological investigation of ocular tissues, alcohol caused an increase in thickness of the cornea and corneal epithelium compared to the control group. This incremental tendency was significantly reduced by propolis, and values were very close to those of the control group. Alcohol did not cause any significant alteration of rat retinal thickness.

Conclusion: This study showed that propolis is highly effective against corneal edema secondary to chronic alcohol intake.

Dr. Weil Says Propolis a Safe and Useful Home Remedy

Dr. Weil: What's the Buzz on Bee Propolis?
Universal Press Syndicate, 7/29/2009

Bees make propolis, which they use to glue the materials of their hives together, by mixing beeswax and other secretions with resins from the buds of conifer and poplar trees. Those resins have natural germicidal properties. For centuries, people have used propolis on wounds and as a remedy for ailments ranging from acne to cancer, osteoporosis, itching and tuberculosis.

Today, propolis is used in the manufacture of chewing gum, cosmetics, creams, lozenges and ointments, and is being investigated as a dental sealant and tooth enamel hardener. A number of studies have tested its effectiveness in humans and animals as a treatment for burns, minor wounds, infections, inflammatory diseases, dental pain and genital herpes…

…propolis does have proven antibiotic and antiseptic properties, and may also have antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects. I consider it safe and useful as a home remedy. You can find it in various forms in health-food stores or get the raw stuff from beekeepers. I recommend it as a good topical treatment for uncomplicated wounds and, when used as a gargle or in spray form, as a remedy for sores and irritations in the mouth. I use propolis in tincture form to treat canker sores and sore throats…

Honey, Other Bee Products Boost Immunity

Immune Defense of Rats Immunized with Fennel Honey, Propolis, and Bee Venom Against Induced Staphylococcal Infection
Journal of Medicinal Food, 2009 Jun;12(3):569-75

The objective of this work was to evaluate the potency of bee product-immunized rats to overcome an induced Staphylococcus aureus infection.

Forty rats were divided to eight groups: T1, T3, and T5 received, respectively, fennel honey, ethanol, and aqueous propolis extracts orally, and T2, T4, and T6 were administered the respective materials intraperitoneally; T7 received bee venom by the bee sting technique; and T8 was the control group. All groups were challenged by a bovine clinical mastitis isolate of S. aureus...

Postmortem inspection revealed that all T8 rats showed different degrees of skeletal muscle and internal organ paleness with scattered focal pus nodules mainly on lungs and livers. All rats of the treated groups showed normal postmortem features except three rats. A dead rat in group T7 showed focal pus nodules on the lung surface only, whereas the affected two rats in groups T4 and T5 appeared normal except with some pus nodules, but much smaller than in the control, scattered on the hepatic surface and mesentery.

Histopathological studies revealed that T8 rats had typical suppurative bronchopneumonia and or severe degenerative and necrobiotic changes in hepatic tissues. Three affected rats of the treated groups showed slight bronchopneumonia or degenerative hepatic changes only. The other animals of the treated groups showed completely normal parenchymatous organs with stimulated lymphatic tissues.

It was concluded that all tested previously bee product-immunized rats could significantly challenge the induced S. aureus infection. The effects were more pronounced in rats that had received fennel honey solution.

Infant Botulism Case Caused by Honey?

Infant Botulism: Case Report and Review
Revista chilena de infectología, 2009, vol.26, n.2, pp. 162-167

Botulism is a rare disease in Chile and of the known clinical presentation, infant botulism is the most common.

We report the case of a previously healthy seven month oíd male infant with a two weeks history of rinorrea, cough, fatigue, constipation and progressive weakness after the consumption of honey. Stool cultures were positive for Clostridium botulinum group 1 type A and electromyography was compatible with the diagnosis.

The patient evolved with arterial hypertension, interpreted as secondary to autonomic dysfunction, which responded to calcium channel blockers. Muscle tone improved progressively during the following four weeks.

Infant botulism is a potentially fatal disease; diagnosis can be difficult given the broad clinical manifestations. Prevention should focus on education of parents of infants as well as medical personnel.

Video: Bees Sting 91-Year-Old Texas Man 100 Times

Elderly Dallas Man "Feels Fine" After Bee Attack
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21)

A 91 year old Dallas man is recovering at home after being attacked by more than 100 bees on Sunday…

Honey and Royal Jelly Inhibit Bacterial Lectins

Comparison of the Antibacterial Adhesion Activities of Honey and Royal Jelly in Blocking Lectins of the Soil-Borne Pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Chromobacterium violaceum, and Ralstonia solanacearum – to Those of Milk
Journal of ApiProduct & ApiMedical Science, Vol. 1 (3) pp. 82 - 89

Antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria prompted the search for natural compounds that could competitively block their lectin-mediated biofilm formation and adhesion to animal cells.

Important animal sources for such compounds are avian egg whites, mammalian milks, and beehive products, which protect embryos and neonates from infections.

The present communication describes a study of the glycan composition and antibacterial adhesion potential of honey and royal jelly (RJ), using the following bacterial lectins: the galactophylic PA-IL and fucophylic PA-IIL of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the fucophylic CV-IIL of Chromobacterium violaceum, and the fucophylic RSL and mannophylic RS-IIL of Ralstonia solanocearum, plus reference plant lectins: the mannophylic Con A of Canavalia ensiformis and fucophylic UEA-I (of Ulex europaeus).

The honey and royal jelly were found to inhibit all the bacterial lectins examined and Con A, but not UEA-I. The honey effect was mainly associated with low (<10 kDa) MW components and the RJ effect - with its glycoproteins. PA-IL inhibition by the two beehive products was relatively mild, while the other bacterial lectins were generally strongly blocked by them, with varying intensities and preferential component affinities. The presented information contributes to the scopes of api-products, antibacterial adhesion and api-medicine.