Revisiting Greek Propolis: Chromatographic Analysis and Antioxidant Activity Study

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Natural Product Chemistry
• Pharmacognosy

Background:

• Propolis, a bee product, is gaining global interest for its use in healthy foods and cosmetics.
• Its purported health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects, are linked to its chemical composition.
• Propolis composition varies naturally based on local flora.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and apply a novel analytical method for identifying and quantifying phenolic compounds in Greek propolis.
• To discover new phenolic compounds in Greek propolis.
• To evaluate the antioxidant activity of Greek propolis extracts.

Main Methods:

• Development of a targeted High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Photodiode Array-Electrospray Ionization/Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-PDA-ESI/MS) method.
• Complementary analysis using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS).
• Assessment of radical scavenging activity to determine antioxidant potential.

Main Results:

• Identification and quantification of 59 phenolic compounds in Greek propolis hydroalcoholic extracts.
• Discovery of nine phenolic compounds previously unreported in Greek propolis.
• GC-MS analysis revealed an additional eight newly reported compounds.
• Propolis extracts demonstrated significant radical scavenging activity, with Imathia region extract showing comparable activity to quercetin.

Conclusions:

• The developed HPLC-PDA-ESI/MS method is effective for detailed analysis of Greek propolis.
• This study expands the known chemical profile of Greek propolis, identifying several novel compounds.
• Greek propolis possesses notable antioxidant properties, supporting its use in functional foods and cosmetics.