Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jan-Dec:21:15347354221096868.
doi: 10.1177/15347354221096868.

The Potential Use of Propolis as an Adjunctive Therapy in Breast Cancers

Dedy Hermansyah  1 , Felix Zulhendri  2   3 , Conrad O Perera  4 , Naufal N Firsty  1 , Kavita Chandrasekaran  5 , Rizky Abdulah  2 , Herry Herman  2 , Ronny Lesmana  2
Affiliations

The Potential Use of Propolis as an Adjunctive Therapy in Breast Cancers

Dedy Hermansyah et al. Integr Cancer Ther. 2022 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

Propolis is a resinous beehive product that has a wide range of biological activities, namely antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Propolis is collected by the bees from plant resin and exudates to protect hives and maintain hive homeostasis. The aim of the present systematic scoping review is to explore the potential and suitability of propolis as an adjunctive treatment in breast cancers, based on the latest available experimental evidence (2012-2021). After applying the exclusion criteria, a total of 83 research publications were identified and retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, and Pubmed. Several relevant key themes identified from the included studies were cytotoxicity, synergistic/combination treatment, improvement in bioavailability, human clinical trials, and others. A majority of the studies identified were still in the in vitro and in vivo stages. Nonetheless, we managed to identify 4 human clinical trials that demonstrated the successful use of propolis in alleviating side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy while increasing the quality of life of breast cancer patients, with minimal adverse effects. In conclusion, propolis, as an adjunctive treatment, may have therapeutic benefits in alleviating symptoms related to breast cancers. However, further clinical trials, preferably with higher number of participants/subjects/patients, are urgently needed.

Keywords: adjunct therapy; complementary medicine; nutraceutical; propolis; supportive care; systematic review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Kebun Efi produces propolis extracts of the Indonesian stingless bees. All other authors declare no competing financial interests and no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The screening process of the studies adapted from Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Characteristics of the included studies. (A) Types of extract. (B) Types of studies. (C) Themes. (D) Types of bees.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Summary of the mechanisms of action of propolis against breast cancer cells based on in vitro and in vivo studies.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Summary of proposed areas of research on potential clinical benefits of propolis in breast cancer.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Zettler ME, Feinberg BA, Jeune-Smith Y, Gajra A. Impact of social determinants of health on cancer care: a survey of community oncologists. BMJ Open. 2021;11:e049259. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pilleron S, Soto-Perez-de-Celis E, Vignat J, et al.. Estimated global cancer incidence in the oldest adults in 2018 and projections to 2050. Int J Cancer. 2021;148:601-608. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Yabroff KR, Mariotto A, Tangka F, et al.. Annual report to the nation on the status of cancer, part 2: patient economic burden associated with cancer care. JNCI. 2021;113:1670-1682. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lima SM, Kehm RD, Terry MB. Global breast cancer incidence and mortality trends by region, age-groups, and fertility patterns. EClinicalMedicine. 2021;38:100985. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hu K, Ding P, Wu Y, Tian W, Pan T, Zhang S. Global patterns and trends in the breast cancer incidence and mortality according to sociodemographic indices: an observational study based on the global burden of diseases. BMJ Open. 2019;9:e028461. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types