Costa Rican Propolis Chemical Compositions: Nemorosone Found to Be Present in an Exclusive Geographical Zone

The chemistry of Costa Rican propolis from Apis mellifera remains underexplored despite its potential applications. This study identified its chemical composition, linking chemotypes to antioxidant potential.

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) spectra were obtained for 119 propolis extracts and analyzed using multivariate analyses. In parallel, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay was used to assess antioxidant activity. A generalized linear regression model (GLM) correlated this with its chemical profiles and geographical origin. Chromatographic methods were used to isolate active and inactive compounds, which were identified using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS).

Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed three chemical profile groups for the 119 propolis extracts, explaining 73% of the total variance with two components. Radical scavenging activity was found to correlate with chemical composition. Isolation yielded n-coniferyl benzoate in type I (EC₅₀ = 190 µg/mL, ORAC = 0.60 µmol TE/µmol) and nemorosone in type II (EC₅₀ = 300 µg/mL, ORAC = 0.7 µmol TE/µmol). Type III was represented in terpene-like components, which exhibited lower antioxidant activity.

This study categorizes Costa Rican propolis into three chemical types and identifies two key components linked to antioxidant activity. Notably, nemorosone, a valuable natural product, was found to be highly concentrated in a particular region of Costa Rica.