Antimicrobial Activity of a New Type of Brazilian Propolis

Objectives: Natural products have been used to discover innovative agents in drug therapy for the control of oral diseases, such as dental caries. Among the natural products, propolis stands out because it has antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus mutans and periodontal-pathogens bacterial group. A new Brazilian propolis collected from Santa Catarina and Parana states, Brazil, is being produced in a sustainable manner, free of toxic agents in the preserved Araucaria forests. This propolis is being called Organic Propolis due to its unique area of production. However, there are no studies in literature regarding its antimicrobial properties. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of seasonality and the antimicrobial activity of Organic Propolis against bacteria with medical and dental interests during one year.
Methods: Seven sub-types of propolis from northern Parana until south of Santa Catarina states were collected and the ethanol extracts (EEP) were produced of each referenced sample. The antimicrobial activity were evaluated by Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of Streptococcus mutans UA159, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923, Actinomyces naeslundii ATCC 12104, Streptococcus sobrinus 6715, Escherichia coli ATCC25922 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 25619.
Results: The results show that MIC vary from 6.25 to >800 ug/ml and MBC from 100-200 to >800 ug/ml of most microorganisms, except E. coli and P. aeruginosa. Propolis collected in February and March demonstrated aslightly more effective antimicrobial activity and the sub-type 1 showed the best activity between the 7 sub-types.
Conclusions: In front of results, it was concluded that in one year, the brazilian Organic Propolis sub-type 1 showed better antimicrobial activity against S. mutans, S. sobrinus, S. aureus and A.naeslundii, being influenced by the seasonal effect and proving to be an antimicrobial agent that may have a promising future. Future studies may have to elucidate its bioactive compounds, responsible by antimicrobial activity.