Chemical Composition of Mexican Propolis

Propolis, or bee glue, is a resinous material collected by bees from plant buds and exudates. Several biological activities have been described for propolis, including antibacterial, antifungal, antiprotozoal, antiviral, antitumor, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties, among others. This plant material contains sticky substances mixed with beeswax and other secretions, and its composition is quantitatively and qualitatively variable, depending on the vegetation in the area from which it was collected. Thus, in the present investigation, several samples of propolis were analyzed by HPLC in order to establish the differences in the chemical composition, and a reliable and accurate analytical method for quantifying the main active components, namely pinocembrin, acacetin, 4,7-dimethyl naringenin, and 4′,7-dimethyl apigenin from the ethanol extract was fully validated.