Evaluation of the chemical profile and pharmacological activities of propolis from Tajikistan

Abstract

The study describes the chemical and pharmacological investigations of propolis collected from Rasht region of Tajikistan. Total polyphenolic and total flavonoid contents resulted in propolis extract were: 0.49 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) and 0.11 mg quercetin equivalents (QE) per mg of dried extract, respectively. Chemical investigation of the ethanol extract delivered seven pure phenolic compounds identified as: quercetin (1), caffeic acid (2), ferulic acid (3), luteolin (4), kaempferol (5), apigenin (6) and rutin (7), respectively. Significant activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans were shown by 70% ethanol extract of propolis (PE70), compounds 2 and 3. DPPH free radical scavenging assay yielded in powerful activity of PE70 with IC50 value 14.7±1.22 μg/mL while compounds 1, 3, 5, 7 resulted in IC50 values: 15.83±0.68 μM, 11.32±0.47 μM, 19.38±0.87 μM and 28.21±1.50 μM respectively. The PE70 and quercetin showed strongest antidiabetic activity with an IC50 7.52±0.21 and 7.54±0.19 μg/mL, respectively. Literature clarified that this is the first report presenting the results regarding the propolis from Tajikistan.