RESUMO
Twenty-one propolis samples produced by 12 different Meliponinae species were analyzed by GC-MS. Several chemical types of stingless bees' propolis could be grouped, according to the prevailing type of compounds like: 'gallic acid", "diterpenic" and "triterpenic" types. The results confirm that neither the bee species nor the geographical location determine the chemical composition of Meliponinae propolis and the choice of its plant source, respectively. This could be explained by the fact that Meliponinae forage over short distances (maximum 500 m) and thus use as propolis source the first plant exudate they encounter during their flights. The antibacterial, antifungal and cytotoxic activities of the samples were also investigated. Most samples had weak or no activity against E. coli, weak action against Candida albicans. Some of them showed significant activity against St. aureus., presumably connected to the high concentration of diterpenic acids. Samples rich in diterpenic acids possessed also high cytotoxic activity (Artemia salina test).
Assuntos
Abelhas , Candida albicans/efeitos dos fármacos , Escherichia coli/efeitos dos fármacos , Própole/química , Própole/farmacologia , Staphylococcus aureus/efeitos dos fármacos , Animais , Brasil , Candida albicans/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Diterpenos/análise , Escherichia coli/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Ácido Gálico/análise , Cromatografia Gasosa-Espectrometria de Massas , Testes de Sensibilidade Microbiana , Especificidade da Espécie , Staphylococcus aureus/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Triterpenos/análiseRESUMO
Three ent-kaurene diterpenoids, not previously described as constituents of propolis, were isolated from a sample collected by Brazilian native bees Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides. One of them, kaurenoic acid, as well as the total extract, displayed moderate antibacterial activity.