Title:Biological Activities of Red Propolis: A Review
Volume: 11
Issue: 1
Author(s): Marcia Christina Dornelas de Freitas, Marina Barcelos de Miranda, Daiane Teixeira de Oliveira, Sidney Augusto Vieira-Filho, Rachel Basques Caligiorne and Sonia Maria de Figueiredo*
Affiliation:
- Escola de Nutricao, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto-Campus Morro do Cruzeiro, Ouro Preto 35400-000, Minas Gerais,Brazil
Keywords:
Red propolis, biological properties, Apis mellifera, Dalbergia ecastophyllum, formononetin, daidzein, flavonoides.
Abstract: Background: The red propolis (RdProp) is a resin produced by Apis mellifera bees, which
collect the reddish exudate on the surface of its botanic source, the species Dalbergia ecastophyllum,
popularly known in Brazil as “rabo de bugio”. Considered as the 13th type of Brazilian propolis, this
resin has been gaining prominence due to its natural composition, rich in bioactive substances not
found in other types of propolis.
Objective: This review aims to address the most important characteristics of RdProp, its botanical
origin, the main constituents, its biological properties and the patents related to this natural product.
Method: By means of the SciFinder, Google Patents, Patus® and Spacenet, scientific articles and patents
involving the term "red propolis" were searched until August 2017.
Results: A number of biological properties, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiparasitic,
antitumor, antioxidant, metabolic and nutraceutical activities are attributed to RdProp, demonstrating
the great potential of its use in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.
Conclusion: The available papers are associated to pharmacological potential of RdProp, but the molecular
mechanisms or bioactive compounds responsible for each activity have not yet been fully elucidat ed.
The RdProp patents currently found are directed to components for the pharmaceutical industry
(EP2070543A1; WO2014186851A1; FR3006589A1; CN1775277A; CN105797149A; CN1879859A),
cosmetic (JP6012138B2; JP2008247830A; JP6012138B2) and food (JP5478392B2; CN101380052A;
WO2006038690A1).
