Scientists in Brazil are convinced their study of the beneficial capacities of green propolis could pave the way for various research projects focusing on the treatment of cancer.
Because of its alleged anti-inflammatory activity, propolis is a crucial factor of traditional medicine and alternative approaches to tackling health issues.
Experts affiliated with Sao Paulo State University (UNESP) cooperated with scientists from the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) as they aimed to find out more about what the substance, which is produced by the Africanised honeybee, can do.
The researchers applied artepillin C, which is the main component of green propolis, to healthy and cancerous cells. Artepillin C is a phenolic compound and known to have anti-tumour properties. It can be found in the resin of a Brazilian plant called Baccharis dracunculifolia.
Prof Wallance Moreira Pazin from UNESP’s Department of Physics and Meteorology said: “Prior research showed that artepillin C can alter model biological membranes, which are thin films around living cells, especially when we vary the pH of the medium in which they are placed.”
Prof Pazin and his team opted to concentrate on fibroblasts which are the main cells in the healing and maintenance of connective tissue. Another subject of their study was the impact on the cells of glioblastoma, a cancer occurring in the spinal cord or the brain.
An optical microscope was used to determine whether the propolis had any impact on the integrity and morphology of the membranes. The investigation showed that artepillin C changed the fluidity of the tumour cells.
Propolis is a resin that bees produce. It contains a mixture of bee saliva, beeswax and substances from plants. Propolis is said to help to treat wounds, allergies and cold sores.
