Brazilian crimson propolis present in beehives alongside the coast and mangroves within the Northeast area incorporates two substances with anti-cancer properties. In laboratory assessments, they significantly diminished the proliferation of ovarian, breast, and mind most cancers cells.
In a examine printed within the Journal of Natural Products, researchers on the Universities of São Paulo (USP) and Campinas (UNICAMP) report their discovery of the 2 anti-cancer substances in addition to six novel polyphenols with buildings beforehand unknown to science. Polyphenols are helpful pure compounds with anti-oxidant properties. They embrace flavonoids and tannins, and could be present in vegetation, cereals, and wine.
“Two of the eight substances isolated for the first time from red propolis displayed cytotoxic properties in ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and glioma cells. We performed in vitro tests on these three types of tumor because they are resistant to many different drugs and hence hard to treat. The cells in question have a well-known mechanism that overexpresses a protein responsible for barring drugs. This is why they’re drug-resistant. Our tests showed that the substances in red propolis circumvented the mechanism, showing their potential to reduce tumors,” stated Roberto Berlinck, a professor within the University of São Paulo’s São Carlos Institute of Chemistry (IQSC-USP) and a member of the steering committee of the São Paulo Research Foundation—FAPESP Research Program on Biodiversity Characterization, Conservation, Restoration and Sustainable Use (BIOTA-FAPESP).
The discoveries resulted from a examine throughout the scope of BIOTA-FAPESP, coordinated by Berlinck, and from a Thematic Project coordinated by Ronaldo Pilli.
Library of pure merchandise
According to Berlinck, crimson propolis polyphenols are a novel class of anti-cancer compounds that inhibit tumor development and induce tumor cell dying. “In one of our tests they outperformed a well-known chemotherapy drug [doxorubicin],” he instructed.
Natural merchandise are among the many primary sources of recent most cancers medicine. Hence the significance of bioprospecting research reminiscent of this one, demonstrating the helpful results of the substances involved. Previous analysis described the bactericidal, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties of crimson propolis.
“Bees produce propolis to protect the hive, so it’s no accident that the resin is bactericidal and anti-fungal,” Berlinck stated. “This had been reported previously by researchers who analyzed raw red propolis. In our study, we proved the anti-cancer effects of specific substances isolated from red propolis.”
Red propolis is rarer than inexperienced, yellow, or brown propolis. Brazil is among the world’s largest producers of propolis. Red propolis is present in a number of states of Northeast Brazil. In Alagoas, for instance, it’s produced by honeybees (Apis mellifera) that feed on the reddish resin exuded by the coin vine Dalbergia ecastaphyllum.
“We plan to investigate how the bees process this tree resin,” Berlinck stated. “Do they modify it to make propolis or use it as is?”
However, he added, polyphenols should not thought-about promising candidates for drug improvement. “Polyphenols, unfortunately, bind to all sorts of proteins, whereas a drug needs to target a specific protein,” he stated. “This may be why red propolis is active in so many ways. It can influence several different systems.”
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More data:
Thais P. Banzato et al, Antiproliferative Flavanoid Dimers Isolated from Brazilian Red Propolis, Journal of Natural Products (2020). DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.9b01136