Composition and functional properties of propolis (bee glue): A review

Syed Ishtiaq Anjum¹, Amjad Ullah¹, Khalid Ali Khan^{2

3}, Mohammad Attaullah⁴, Hikmatullah Khan¹, Hussain Ali⁵, Muhammad Amjad Bashir⁶, Muhammad Tahir⁷, Mohammad Javed Ansari^{8

9}, Hamed A Ghramh^{2

3

10}, Nuru Adgaba⁸, Chandra Kanta Dash¹¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Zoology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat 26000, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
² Unit of Bee Research and Honey Production, Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Zoology, University of Malakand, Chakdara 18800, Dir Lower, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
⁵ Entomology Section, Agricultural Research Institute (ARI), Tarnab, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
⁶ Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture Sciences, Ghazi University, Dera Ghazi Khan 32200, Punjab, Pakistan.
⁷ Faculty of Marin Sciences, Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Sciences, Uthal, Baluchistan, Pakistan.
⁸ Bee Research Chair, Department of Plant Protection, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁹ Department of Botany, Hindu College Moradabad, 244001, India.
¹⁰ Research Center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia.
¹¹ Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3300, Bangladesh.

PMID: 31762646
PMCID: PMC6864204
DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2018.08.013

Review

Composition and functional properties of propolis (bee glue): A review

Syed Ishtiaq Anjum et al. Saudi J Biol Sci. 2019 Nov.

. 2019 Nov;26(7):1695-1703.

doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2018.08.013. Epub 2018 Aug 17.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Zoology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat 26000, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
² Unit of Bee Research and Honey Production, Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Zoology, University of Malakand, Chakdara 18800, Dir Lower, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
⁵ Entomology Section, Agricultural Research Institute (ARI), Tarnab, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
⁶ Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture Sciences, Ghazi University, Dera Ghazi Khan 32200, Punjab, Pakistan.
⁷ Faculty of Marin Sciences, Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Sciences, Uthal, Baluchistan, Pakistan.
⁸ Bee Research Chair, Department of Plant Protection, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁹ Department of Botany, Hindu College Moradabad, 244001, India.
¹⁰ Research Center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia.
¹¹ Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3300, Bangladesh.

PMID: 31762646
PMCID: PMC6864204
DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2018.08.013

Abstract

Propolis is a natural substance collected by honey bees from various plants such as, poplar, palm, pine, conifer secretions, gums, resins, mucilage and leaf buds. It is collected and brought very painstakingly by honey bees to be used for sealing cracks and crevices occurring in their hives. Originally, it as an antiseptic meant for preventing bee-hive from microbial infections along with preventing decomposition of intruders. Additionally, propolis has been used in folk medicine for centuries. The biological characteristics of propolis depend upon its chemical composition, plant sources, geographical zone and seasons. More than 300 compounds have been identified in propolis such as, phenolic compounds, aromatic acids, essential oils, waxes and amino acids. Many scientific articles are published every year in different international journals, and several groups of researchers have focused their attention on the chemical compounds and biological activity of propolis.

Keywords: Antimicrobial activities; Biomedical applications; Chemical composition; Physical properties; Propolis.

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Composition and functional properties of propolis (bee glue): A review

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Composition and functional properties of propolis (bee glue): A review

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