Vol. 1 (2) pp. 23 – 28

10.3896/IBRA.4.01.2.01 

April 2009

Chemical diversity of propolis makes it a valuable source of new biologically active compounds

Vassya Bankova

Propolis with its diverse pharmacological activities and low toxicity has attracted the attention of modern scientists since about 50 years. However, propolis, or bee glue, has demonstrated remarkable chemical variability, which is a serious obstacle to its standardization and consequently, to its official acceptance into the main stream of our healthcare system. On the other hand, the variation in the chemistry of propolis from different ecosystems has made it a source of new biologically active molecules, mainly antioxidative, antibacterial and anticancer agents. The most important recent findings concerning bioactive molecules isolated from propolis are reviewed and discussed here.