Inhibition of neutrophils' chemiluminescence by ethanol extract of propolis (EEP) and its phenolic components

Ethanol extract of propolis (EEP), a natural beehive product, has been known for centuries for a variety of beneficial traditional medical properties, among which an anti-inflammatory effect is a major one. Now that most of its components have been isolated and recently identified, we tested 19 of t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of ethnopharmacology 1996-12, Vol.55 (1), p.19-25
Main Authors: Krol, W., Scheller, S., Czuba, Z., Matsuno, T., Zydowicz, G., Shani, J., Mos, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Anti-Inflammatory Agents - pharmacology
Biological and medical sciences
Chemiluminescence
EEP (ethanol extract of propolis)
Flavone
Flavonol
Free-radical scavenging
General pharmacology
Guinea Pigs
Luminescent Measurements
Male
Medical sciences
Neutrophil
Neutrophils - drug effects
Neutrophils - physiology
Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Phenols - pharmacology
Plant Extracts - pharmacology
Propolis
Propolis - pharmacology
Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate - pharmacology
traditional medicine
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Summary:Ethanol extract of propolis (EEP), a natural beehive product, has been known for centuries for a variety of beneficial traditional medical properties, among which an anti-inflammatory effect is a major one. Now that most of its components have been isolated and recently identified, we tested 19 of them (all phenolic compounds) for their degree of anti-inflammatory activity. This was performed by evaluating the luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence, formed after their scavenging free radicals, generated by neutrophils that had been stimulated by phorbol myristate acetate. Caffeic-acid-phenylethyl-ester abolished the chemiluminescence completely at a concentration of 10 μM, while three flavone derivatives and three flavonols (galangin, kaempferol and kaempferid) diminished this chemiluminescence by 73–93% at the same concentration. These results indicate that some of the phenolic components of the ethanol extract of propolis are its active components in exerting its renowned anti-inflammatory activity.
ISSN:0378-8741
1872-7573
DOI:10.1016/S0378-8741(96)01466-3