Characteristics and chemical compositions of propolis from Ethiopia

Journal Article

..., Ahmed I Rushdi, Ahmed Al-Khazim, . 2014

• المجلة \ الصحيفة: a SpringerOpen Journal
• رقم العدد: 253
• رقم الإصدار السنوي: 3
• الصفحات: 1-9

مستخلص المنشور

Honeybees collect resinous/waxy substances from exudates of plants to make a sticky material known as propolis (Ghisalberti 1979; Parolia et al. 2010). They utilize propolis to seal cracks in hives, encapsulate invader carcasses and protect their hives from infection by bacteria and fungi (Banskota et al. 2001; Simone-Finstrom & Spivak 2010). In ancient times, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all used propolis as a remedy against some diseases (Sforcin & Bankova 2011). The therapeutic properties of propolis are due to its chemical composition with bio-active compounds; therefore, researchers are interested in studying its chemical constituents and biological properties (Sforcin & Bankova 2011; Bankova 2005; Castaldo & Capasso 2002; Sforcin 2007). The diverse chemical compositions and biological activities of propolis are attributed to geographical settings, plant sources and collecting season (Sforcin & Bankova 2011). Flavonoids, aromatic acids, diterpenoid acids, triterpenoids, and phenolic compounds are the major components of propolis (Bankova et al. 2000; Chen et al. 2008; Cursta-Rubio et al. 2007; Daugsch et al. 2008; Kumazawa et al. 2008; Markham et al. 1996; Popova et al. 2010). Some of these compounds are responsible for its biological activities (Bankova et al. 2000; Barros et al. 2007; Bassani-Silva et al. 2007; Bufalo et al. 2009; Cvek et al. 2007; Orsatti et al. 2010a; Orsatti et al. 2010b; Orsi et al. 2005; Zamami et al. 2007). There are three possible sources for the organic compounds of propolis: plants, secreted substances from honeybee metabolism, and materials that are introduced during propolis formation (Marcucci 1995). Propolis is typically composed of 50% resin and vegetable balsam, 30% wax, 10% essential and aromatic oils, 5% pollen and 5% other substances (Cirasino et al. 1987; Monti et al. 1983). Most of the studies on propolis composition and pharmacological effects have been performed on samples from Europe and Latin America (e.g. (Bankova et al. 2000; Daugsch et al. 2008; Barros et al. 2007; Monti et al. 1983)), whereas few have reported on propolis from north Africa (El-Hady & Hegazi 2002; Hegazi & El-Hady 2002) with none from Ethiopia. Ethiopia is located in north-eastern Africa with varied climatic and physiographic conditions that endowed the country with more than 7,000 species of flowering plants (Edwards 1976). They are considered as a potential for producing huge volume of propolis with high probabilities for various biologically active substances. However, many beekeepers in the country focus only on honey production.