In Vitro Evaluation of the Potential Use of Propolis as a Multitarget Therapeutic Product: Physicochemical Properties, Chemical Composition, and Immunomodulatory, Antibacterial, and Anticancer Properties

Propolis is a resin that honeybees produce by mixing saliva and beeswax with exudate gathered from botanical sources. The present in vitro study investigated the potential use of propolis as a multitarget therapeutic product and the physicochemical properties, chemical composition, and immunomodulatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer properties of a propolis extract from the northern Morocco region (PNM). Pinocembrin, chrysin, and quercetin were the main phenolic compounds of PNM as measured inHPLC. ThePNM showed significant inhibitoryeffects againstall tested Gram-positiveand Gram-negative strains and showed high antioxidant activities by scavenging free radicals with IC50 (DPPH�0.02, ABTS�0.04, and FRAP�0.04mg/ml). In addition, PNM induced a dose-dependent cytostatic effect in MCF-7, HCT, and THP-1 cell lines at noncytotoxicconcentrationswithIC50valuesof479.22,108.88,and50.54μg/ml,respectively.Theproductionoftumornecrosis factor-α(TNF-α)andinterleukin-6(IL-6)wasdecreasedinadose-dependentmannerinLPS-stimulatedhumanperipheralblood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs),whereas the productionof the anti-inflammatoryinterleukin-10 (IL-10) wasincreasedin a dosedependentmannerreaching15-foldcomparedtothelevelsmeasuredinuntreatedPBMNCs.Overall,theresultsshowedthatthe traditionally known multitarget therapeutic properties of the PNM seem to be mediated, at least in part, through cytostatic, antibacterial, and immunomodulatory effects.