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Author: Cathy
Introduction: Propolis is a traditional natural drug and has been used in Europe for more than 2,000 years. Among them, red propolis is the most precious and is known as the "ruby" in the propolis world. A recent study confirmed that Brazilian red propolis contains two substances with anti-cancer properties, which can significantly inhibit the proliferation of ovarian cancer, breast cancer and brain cancer cells .
red propolis is mainly produced in the mangrove areas in northeastern Brazil, including Aragos, Sergipei, Paraiba, Pernambuco and Bahia. In this study, scientists discovered two anti-cancer substances in propolis in mangroves off the coast of Brazil and northeastern mangroves, as well as six new polyphenols whose structures were previously scientifically unknown. Polyphenols are natural compounds with antioxidant properties, including flavonoids and tannins, which can be found in plants, cereals and wines. In this trial, they greatly reduced the proliferation of ovarian, breast and brain cancer cells.
This study reports the chemical and biological survey results of red propolis collected on the northeast coast of Brazil
The study was conducted by the research team of University of São Paulo, Brazil (USP) and the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and published in Journal of Natural Products of the American Chemical Society (ACS), entitled "Antiproliferative Flavanoid Dimers Isolated from Brazilian Red Propolis". "Of the eight substances isolated from red propolis for the first time, two showed cytotoxicity in ovarian, breast, and glioma cells," said Professor Roberto Berlinck of the Institute of Chemistry (IQSC-USP) of the University of Sao Paulo. "We conducted in vitro tests on these three types of tumors, which are resistant to many drugs and are therefore difficult to treat. These cancer cells have a well-known mechanism of overexpressing a protein responsible for inhibiting drugs, which is why they are resistant. Our tests show that substances in red propolis bypass this mechanism, showing the potential to reduce tumors. "The researchers isolated eight novel polyphenols from the rarest propolis. Experimental analysis found that two of them can inhibit tumor cell proliferation (picture: red propolis crumbs in petri dishes. Image source: Roberto Berlinck/IQSC-USP)
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natural products are one of the main sources of new anti-cancer drugs. Therefore, the importance of such bioprospecting research demonstrates the beneficial effects of relevant substances. Previous studies have described the bactericidal, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties of red propolis .
Berlinck said: " bees produce propolis to protect the honeycomb, so it is no accident that this resin has bactericidal and antifungal effects. Previously, researchers analyzed the original red propolis. In our study, we demonstrated that specific substances isolated from red propolis have anti-cancer effects."
red propolis is more rare than green, yellow or brown propolis. Brazil is one of the largest producers of propolis in the world. Red propolis has been found in several states in northeastern Brazil. For example, in Alagoas, bees (Apis melllifera) feed on the leached red resin , so they produce red propolis. "We're going to look at how bees deal with this resin next. Will they modify it to make propolis or use it directly?"
Berlinck said, however, he added that polyphenols are not considered promising candidates for drug development. He said: "Unfortunately, polyphenols can bind to various proteins, and drugs need to target specific proteins. This may be why red propolis is active in many ways, and it can affect several different systems."
Reference:
[1] https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-substances-anti-canc er-action-brazilian-red.html
【2】https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jnatprod.9b01136#
【3】https://www.sohu.com/a/237824431_100138125
