Pressurized liquid extraction of phenolic compounds from Anatolia propolis and their radical scavenging capacities

Is Propolis a Potential Anti-Obesogenic Agent for Obesity?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Propolis is a bee product that has been used for thousands of years. The chemical composition and biological activity of propolis, which has been investigated in the twentieth century, may vary according to location. Propolis polyphenols can induce thermogenesis in brown and beige fat tissue via the uncoupled protein-1 and creatinine kinase metabolic pathways. This review provides a comprehensive investigation of the structural and biological properties of propolis and provides insights into their promising potential strategies in body weight management.

RECENT FINDINGS

By raising overall energy expenditure, it might lead to body weight management. Furthermore, the phenolic components artepillin C, quercetin, catechin, and chlorogenic acid found in its composition may have anti-obesogenic effect by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system, enhancing browning in white adipose tissue, and triggering AMP-activated protein kinase activation and mitochondrial biogenesis. Propolis, a natural product, is effective in preventing obesity which is a contemporary pandemic.

Effects of propolis extract on growth performance and health condition of dairy calves

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of propolis ethanol extract, on performance, fecal structure, and general health status of calves during the preweaning phase. For this purpose, 24 Simmental calves that were given colostrum for the first 3 days after birth were enrolled in the study. The study started when the calves were 4 days old and finished when they were 60 days old. These calves were divided into two groups as propolis and control groups according to their weight and gender. Both groups were given the same ration and housed in individual calf huts under the same environmental conditions. Differently from the control group, the calves in the propolis group were given 4 mL of propolis extract (300 mg/mL) with an oral feeding syringe for 56 days after morning feeding. The amounts of feed intake and fecal scores of the calves were recorded daily. Health scores, rectal body temperature, fecal pH, body weight, and body measurements were recorded weekly. For the determination of the counts of Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp., fecal samples were collected at the beginning and at the end of the study. The results indicated that oral administration of propolis had positive effects in terms of some performance parameters, the number of days with diarrhea, and fecal scores. In this study, it was concluded that propolis extract had the potential to positively affect the growth performance and health status of preweaning calves.

Phenolic Constituents, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity and Clustering Analysis of Propolis Samples Based on PCA from Different Regions of Anatolia

This study aimed to evaluate the biochemical composition and biological activity of propolis samples from different regions of Türkiye to characterize and classify 24 Anatolian propolis samples according to their geographical origin. Chemometric techniques, namely, principal component analysis (PCA) and a hierarchical clustering algorithm (HCA), were applied for the first time to all data, including antioxidant capacity, individual phenolic constituents, and the antimicrobial activity of propolis to reveal the possible clustering of Anatolian propolis samples according to their geographical origin. As a result, the total phenolic content (TPC) of the propolis samples varied from 16.73 to 125.83 mg gallic acid equivalent per gram (GAE/g) sample, while the number of total flavonoids varied from 57.98 to 327.38 mg quercetin equivalent per gram (QE/g) sample. The identified constituents of propolis were phenolic/aromatic acids (chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and trans-cinnamic acid), phenolic aldehyde (vanillin), and flavonoids (pinocembrin, kaempferol, pinobanksin, and apigenin). This study has shown that the application of the PCA chemometric method to the biochemical composition and biological activity of propolis allows for the successful clustering of Anatolian propolis samples from different regions of Türkiye, except for samples from the Black Sea region.

Propolis: chemical diversity and challenges in quality control

Propolis is a resinous natural product produced by honeybees using beeswax and plant exudates. The chemical composition of propolis is highly complex, and varies with region and season. This inherent chemical variability presents several challenges to its standardisation and quality control. The present review was aimed at highlighting marker compounds for different types of propolis, produced by the species Apis mellifera, from different geographical origins and that display different biological activities, and to discuss strategies for quality control. Over 800 compounds have been reported in the different propolises such as temperate, tropical, birch, Mediterranean, and Pacific propolis; these mainly include alcohols, acids and their esters, benzofuranes, benzopyranes, chalcones, flavonoids and their esters, glycosides (flavonoid and diterpene), glycerol and its esters, lignans, phenylpropanoids, steroids, terpenes and terpenoids. Among these, flavonoids (> 140), terpenes and terpenoids (> 160) were major components. A broad range of biological activities, such as anti-oxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anticancer activities, have been ascribed to propolis constituents, as well as the potential of these compounds to be biomarkers. Several analytical techniques, including non-separation and separation methods have been described in the literature for the quality control assessment of propolis. Mass spectrometry coupled with separation methods, followed by chemometric analysis of the data, was found to be a valuable tool for the profiling and classification of propolis samples, including (bio)marker identification. Due to the rampant chemotypic variability, a multiple-marker assessment strategy considering geographical and biological activity marker(s) with chemometric analysis may be a promising approach for propolis quality assessment.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11101-022-09816-1.

Polyphenolics profile effects upon the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of propolis extracts

Propolis, a complex bee product, is a source of numerous bioactive principles, beneficial for human health, therefore it is intensively studied. In the present work, extracts of propolis from Bihor Romanian County were studied to identify the relationship between the polyphenolic derivatives profile and their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. Extracts were obtained using water and 25%, 50%, and 70% ethanolic solutions (w/w), at 2:1, 4:1, and 6:1 liquid: solid ratios (w/w). 21 polyphenolic derivatives were quantified by UHPLC-MS, proving that the extracts composition strongly depends on the solvent. The sum of quantified polyphenolics extracted varied between 1.5 and 91.2 mg/g propolis. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated using the free radicals 2,2’-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6 sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) and 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging methods. Antimicrobial efficiency was tested against Gram-positive (B. subtilis), Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli), and fungi (C. albicans) by disc-diffusion method. All extracts, even the aqueous ones, demonstrated antibacterial and antifungal activity. Chemometric methods (partial least squares) and a saturation-type model were used to evaluate the contribution of various bioactive principles in building the antioxidant capacity of extracts. Both experimental and modelling results show that 50% ethanolic extracts provide a rich polyphenolics profile and ensure a good antioxidant capacity.

Investigation of potential inhibitor properties of ethanolic propolis extracts against ACE-II receptors for COVID-19 treatment by molecular docking study

The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-related carboxypeptidase, ACE-II, is a type I integral membrane protein of 805 amino acids that contains 1 HEXXH-E zinc binding consensus sequence. ACE-II has been implicated in the regulation of heart function and also as a functional receptor for the coronavirus that causes the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). In this study, the potential of some flavonoids presents in propolis to bind to ACE-II receptors was calculated with in silico. Binding constants of ten flavonoids, caffeic acid, caffeic acid phenethyl ester, chrysin, galangin, myricetin, rutin, hesperetin, pinocembrin, luteolin and quercetin were measured using the AutoDock 4.2 molecular docking program. And also, these binding constants were compared to reference ligand of MLN-4760. The results are shown that rutin has the best inhibition potentials among the studied molecules with high binding energy − 8.04 kcal/mol, and it is followed by myricetin, quercetin, caffeic acid phenethyl ester and hesperetin. However, the reference molecule has binding energy of – 7.24 kcal/mol. In conclusion, the high potential of flavonoids in ethanolic propolis extracts to bind to ACE-II receptors indicates that this natural bee product has high potential for COVID-19 treatment, but this needs to be supported by experimental studies.

Extraction of phenolic compounds: A review

Phenolic compounds are parts of secondary metabolites mostly found in plant species with enormous structural diversities. They can exist as glycosides or aglycones; matrix or free-bound compounds; and comprising mostly polymerized or monomer structures. Additionally, these compounds are not universally dispensed within plants with varied stability. This has contributed to challenging extraction processes; implying that employing a single step or inappropriate extraction technique might change the recovery of phenolic components from the plant samples. Hence, it is important to select an appropriate extraction method so as to recover the targeted phenolic compounds. This is will helps to recover substantial yields from the sample matrix. Therefore, this review mainly focuses on the phenolic compounds and several methods of extraction that are used to obtaining them from plant materials. These extraction methods includes both conventional and unconventional techniques.

•

Phenolic compounds from natural sources.

•

Methods of extracting phenolic compounds.

•

Selection of an appropriate extraction method to recover the targeted phenolic compounds from plant materials.

Increase in longevity and amelioration of pesticide toxicity by natural levels of dietary phytochemicals in the honey bee, Apis mellifera

For the past decade, migratory beekeepers who provide honey bees for pollination services have experienced substantial colony losses on a recurring basis that have been attributed in part to exposure to insecticides, fungicides, or their combinations applied to crops. The phytochemicals p-coumaric acid and quercetin, which occur naturally in a wide variety of bee foods, including beebread and many types of honey, can enhance adult bee longevity and reduce the toxicity of certain pesticides. How variation in concentrations of natural dietary constituents affects interactions with xenobiotics, including synthetic pesticides, encountered in agroecosystems remains an open question. We tested the effects of these two phytochemicals at a range of natural concentrations on impacts of consuming propiconazole and chlorantraniliprole, a triazole fungicide and an insecticide frequently applied as a tank mix to almond trees during bloom in California's Central Valley. Propiconazole, even at low field concentrations, significantly reduced survival and longevity when consumed by adult bees in a sugar-based diet. The effects of propiconazole in combination with chlorantraniliprole enhanced mortality risk. The detrimental effects of the two pesticides were for the most part reduced when either or both of the phytochemicals were present in the diet. These findings suggest that honey bees may depend on non-nutritive but physiologically active phytochemical components of their natural foods for ameliorating xenobiotic stress, although only over a certain range of concentrations; particularly at the high end of the natural range, certain combinations can incur additive toxicity. Thus, efforts to develop nectar or pollen substitutes with phytochemicals to boost insecticide tolerance or immunity or to evaluate toxicity of pesticides to pollinators should take concentration-dependent effects of phytochemicals into consideration.

Influence of ultrasonic amplitude, temperature, time and solvent concentration on bioactive compounds extraction from propolis

An ultrasound assisted method was investigated to extract bioactive compounds from propolis. This method was based on a simple ultrasound treatment using ethanol as an extraction medium to facilitate the disruption of the propolis cells. Four different variables were chosen for determining the influence on the extraction efficiency: ultrasonic amplitude, ethanol concentration, temperature and time; the variables were selected by Box-Behnken design experiments. These parameters were optimised in order to obtain the highest yield, and the results exhibited the optimum conditions for achieving the goal as 100% amplitude of ultrasonic treatment, 70% solvent concentration, 58 °C and 30 min. The extraction yield under modified optimum extraction conditions was, as follows: 459.92 mg GAE/g of TPC, 220.62 mg QE/g of TFC and 1.95% of balsam content. The results showed that the ultrasound assisted extraction was suitable for bioactive compounds extraction from propolis. The most abundant phenolic compound was kaempferol (228.8 mg/g propolis) followed by myricetin (115.5 mg/g propolis), luteolin (27.2 mg/g propolis) and quercetin (25.2 mg/g propolis).

Investigation of antioxidant capacity, bioaccessibility and LC-MS/MS phenolic profile of Turkish propolis

Propolis is a resinous bee hive product that has many biological activities. In this study, a total of 11 raw propolis samples were collected from various geographical areas in Turkey. Phenolic compounds were extracted from all samples and analyses of total phenolics and flavonoids and total antioxidant capacities were performed. All the samples showed high total phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant capacities. Moreover, the in vitro bioaccessibility of Turkish propolis samples were investigated according to simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion method. Bioaccessibility was increased through the gastric and intestinal phases. Furthermore, the composition of polyphenols (phenolic acids and flavonoids) in Turkish propolis extracts was investigated by LC-MS/MS method. A total of 32 phenolic compounds, including Caffeic acid phenylethyl ester (CAPE) which was observed in all samples, were identified in the samples. Higher CAPE contents were determined in the samples from the Marmara region which is in line with its higher antioxidant capacity values. As a conclusion, propolis samples collected from different geographical locations differ for their phenolic and flavonoid contents, individual phenolic profile and bioaccessibility.

Preservation of orange juice using propolis

Orange juice is one of the most popular and the most consumed fruit juices all over the world, especially in Europe and the chemical food preservatives, such as sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate and their mixtures, have long been used in orange juice sold on the market. Excessive consumption of these preservatives may be hazardous to human health. Propolis, composed of resins collected from plant buds and exudates and mixed with salivary gland secretions and beeswax by honey bee workers, has been used as a human medicine and natural food preservative. We hypothesis that propolis, without alcohol, can serve as an alternative and non-synthetic preservative of orange juice. In this study, the preservative effect of propolis emulsion on orange juice was determined up to 35 days. Propolis emulsion (0.02 g/mL propolis, 12 mL), emulsion control (12 mL containing Tween-80, hydrophilic phospholipid and polyethylene glycol 400), sodium benzoate (0.4 g) and potassium sorbate (0.4 g) was each added to 388, 388, 400 and 400 mL orange juice respectively. Propolis emulsion showed significant inhibition of bacteria growth and l-ascorbic acid degradation. Orange juice pH value, titratable acidity, total phenolic content, color and antioxidant capacity were effectively maintained by propolis emulsion. A control solution with all the same emulsifying agents without propolis did not show these properties. It was concluded that propolis can be used as a natural additive agent in orange juice or other fruit juices as an alternative to chemical preservatives.

Foodomics and Food Safety: Where We Are

The power of foodomics as a discipline that is now broadly used for quality assurance of food products and adulteration identification, as well as for determining the safety of food, is presented. Concerning sample preparation and application, maintenance of highly sophisticated instruments for both high-performance and high-throughput techniques, and analysis and data interpretation, special attention has to be paid to the development of skilled analysts. The obtained data shall be integrated under a strong bioinformatics environment. Modern mass spectrometry is an extremely powerful analytical tool since it can provide direct qualitative and quantitative information about a molecule of interest from only a minute amount of sample. Quality of this information is influenced by the sample preparation procedure, the type of mass spectrometer used and the analyst's skills. Technical advances are bringing new instruments of increased sensitivity, resolution and speed to the market. Other methods presented here give additional information and can be used as complementary tools to mass spectrometry or for validation of obtained results. Genomics and transcriptomics, as well as affinity-based methods, still have a broad use in food analysis. Serious drawbacks of some of them, especially the affinity-based methods, are the cross-reactivity between similar molecules and the influence of complex food matrices. However, these techniques can be used for pre-screening in order to reduce the large number of samples. Great progress has been made in the application of bioinformatics in foodomics. These developments enabled processing of large amounts of generated data for both identification and quantification, and for corresponding modeling.

Effect of the Addition of Propolis Extract on Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Craft Beer

Antioxidant-rich foods and beverages play an essential role in the prevention of diseases. This study assessed the influence of the addition of ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) to beer at different concentrations (0.05, 0.15, and 0.25 g/L). Total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were determined. Antioxidant activity (AA) was evaluated by radical scavenging activity (DPPH and ABTS) and reducing power (FRAP). The addition of EEP in beer resulted in a linear increase in the TPC with values of 4.5%, 16.7%, and 26.7% above a control (no EEP added; 242 mg gallic acid equivalent/L). A similar increase was observed with TFC values 16.0%, 49.7%, and 59.2% above the control (16.9 mg quercetin equivalent/L). The FRAP assay indicated linear increases in AA relative to control with values of 1555, 1705, and 1892 μmol Trolox equivalent/L following EEP additions. The incorporation of EEP resulted in increases in the bioactive compounds and AA in beer without altering the physicochemical parameters of golden ale beer. The results indicate a promising use of propolis extract as a functional ingredient in beer.

In vitro extraction and fermentation of polyphenols from grape seeds (Vitis vinifera) by human intestinal microbiota

The effects of several parameters on the extraction yield of total polyphenols from grape seeds by pressurized liquid extraction were investigated.

Determination of Parameters for the Supercritical Extraction of Antioxidant Compounds from Green Propolis Using Carbon Dioxide and Ethanol as Co-Solvent

The aim of this study was to determine the best processing conditions to extract Brazilian green propolis using a supercritical extraction technology. For this purpose, the influence of different parameters was evaluated such as S/F (solvent mass in relation to solute mass), percentage of co-solvent (1 and 2% ethanol), temperature (40 and 50°C) and pressure (250, 350 and 400 bar) using supercritical carbon dioxide. The Global Yield Isotherms (GYIs) were obtained through the evaluation of the yield, and the chemical composition of the extracts was also obtained in relation to the total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, antioxidant activity and 3,5-diprenyl-4-hydroxicinnamic acid (Artepillin C) and acid 4-hydroxycinnamic (p-coumaric acid). The best results were identified at 50°C, 350 bar, 1% ethanol (co-solvent) and S/F of 110. These conditions, a content of 8.93±0.01 and 0.40±0.05 g/100 g of Artepillin C and p-coumaric acid, respectively, were identified indicating the efficiency of the extraction process. Despite of low yield of the process, the extracts obtained had high contents of relevant compounds, proving the viability of the process to obtain green propolis extracts with important biological applications due to the extracts composition.

An Optimised Aqueous Extract of Phenolic Compounds from Bitter Melon with High Antioxidant Capacity

Bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) is a tropical fruit claimed to have medicinal properties associated with its content of phenolic compounds (TPC). The aim of the study was to compare water with several organic solvents (acetone, butanol, methanol and 80% ethanol) for its efficiency at extracting the TPC from freeze-dried bitter melon powder. The TPC of the extracts was measured using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and their antioxidant capacity (AC) was evaluated using three assays. Before optimisation, the TPC and AC of the aqueous extract were 63% and 20% lower, respectively, than for the best organic solvent, 80% ethanol. However, after optimising for temperature (80 °C), time (5 min), water-to-powder ratio (40:1 mL/g), particle size (1 mm) and the number of extractions of the same sample (1×), the TPC and the AC of the aqueous extract were equal or higher than for 80% ethanol. Furthermore, less solvent (40 mL water/g) and less time (5 min) were needed than was used for the 80% ethanol extract (100 mL/g for 1 h). Therefore, this study provides evidence to recommend the use of water as the solvent of choice for the extraction of the phenolic compounds and their associated antioxidant activities from bitter melon.

Chemical composition, antimicrobial, insecticidal, phytotoxic and antioxidant activities of Mediterranean Pinus brutia and Pinus pinea resin essential oils

Essential oils of the resins of Pinus brutia and Pinus pinea were evaluated for their biological potential. Essential oils were characterized using GC-MS and GC/FID. in vitro antimicrobial, phytotoxic, antioxidant, and insecticidal activities were carried out using the direct contact and the fumigant assays, respectively. The chemical profile of the essential oils of the resins of P. pinea and P. brutia included mainly α-pinene (21.39% and 25.40%), β-pinene (9.68% and 9.69%), and caryophyllene (9.12% and 4.81%). The essential oils of P. pinea and P. brutia exerted notable antimicrobial activities on Micrococcus luteus and Bacillus subtilis, insecticidal activities on Ephestia kuehniella eggs, phytotoxic activities on Lactuca sativa, Lepidium sativum, and Portulaca oleracea, as well as antioxidant potential. Indications of the biological activities of the essential oils suggest their use in the formulation of ecofriendly and biocompatible pharmaceuticals.

Fast analysis of polyphenols in royal jelly products using automated TurboFlow™-liquid chromatography-Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry

This study describes the development of a novel, simple and fast analytical method for the detection and quantification of polyphenols in royal jelly products, using an in-house database containing more than 50 compounds. The extraction method consisted of sample dilution, followed by a fast on-line system composed of turbulent flow chromatography (TurboFlow™) coupled to liquid chromatography (LC)-Exactive-Orbitrap analyzer. The total run time was 18min, including automated extraction, analytical chromatography and re-equilibration. The method was validated obtaining limits of quantification (LOQ) ranging from 10 to 150μg/kg. The linearity range was up to 2000μg/L and determination coefficients (R²) were higher than 0.994. Adequate recoveries were obtained at three concentration levels (500, 1000 and 2000μg/kg). This method was applied to the analysis of nine samples and the concentration of polyphenols ranged from 14 (apigenin) to 18,936μg/kg (ferulic acid).

Propolis: a review of properties, applications, chemical composition, contact allergy, and other adverse effects

Propolis (bee glue) is the resinous substance that bees collect from living plants for the construction and adaptation of their nests. It has antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties and may have a wide range of other beneficial biological activities. Propolis is available as a dietary supplement, in products for the protection of health and prevention of diseases, in biopharmaceuticals, and as a constituent of (bio)cosmetics. In this article, the following aspects of propolis are reviewed: the nature and chemical composition, its biological properties and applications, contact allergy and allergic contact dermatitis (sensitizing potential, products causing contact allergy, clinical picture, frequency of sensitization, coreactivity and cross-reactivity, the allergens in propolis), and other adverse effects.

Isolation of mono-caffeoylquinic acids from tobacco waste using continuous resin-based pre-separation and preparative HPLC

Three isomers of mono-caffeoylquinic acid, specifically, 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid, 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid and 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, were successfully isolated from a crude extract of tobacco (Nicotiana tobaccum L.) wastes using continuous resin-based pre-separation and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The extract of tobacco wastes was continuously pre-separated by resin-based columns packed with D101 and XAD-4, yielding total mono-caffeoylquinic acids with a purity of 67.71% and a recovery rate of 90.06%. Variables affecting resolution and productivity of three mono-caffeoylquinic acid isomers in preparative HPLC (i.e. mobile-phase composition, pH, flow rate and loading amount) were studied. The optimum chromatographic conditions were determined to be a mobile phase consisting of 15% (v/v) methanol and aqueous acetic acid with a pH of 4.5, a flow rate of 4.0 mL/min, a loading amount of 4 mL and a detection wavelength of 360 nm. From 300 mg of loading sample, 56.3 mg of 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid, 92.8 mg of 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid and 73.1 mg of 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid were obtained in a single run, each with a purity of over 98% by HPLC. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by ESI-MS, (1) H-NMR and (13) C-NMR spectral data.