Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Portuguese propolis samples

Abstract

[Excerpt] Propolis, or bee glue, is a complex mixture composed by resinous and balsamic material, produced by honeybees from plant material, essentially plant exudates, and mixed with bees’ salivary secretions1. Different groups of compounds can be found in propolis extracts, but the chemical set of propolis from temperate regions is made mainly of flavonoids, phenolic acids and their esters. These compounds have been associated with a variety of biological activities such as antimicrobial; antioxidant and free radical scavenging2,3. The aim of this work relates to the investigation on Portuguese propolis, particularly with regard to the evaluation of its antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. [...]