Ingridy Simone Ribeiro Cabral

Composição fenólica, atividade antibacteriana e antioxidante da própolis vermelha brasileira

PHENOLIC COMPOSITION, ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF BRAZILIAN RED PROPOLIS. Propolis is a resinous hive product collected by honeybees from various plant sources. It has a complex chemical composition, constituted by various phenolic compounds. Extracts of increasing polarity (n-hexane, chloroform, and ethanol) were obtained from a sample of red propolis from the state of Alagoas. Assays were carried out for determination of contents of phenolics, along with antibacterial and antioxidant activities. The EEP, fractions and sub-fractions showed strong biological activities and were related with phenolic the content compounds contents. The sub-fractions were more bioactive than the EEP and fractions, demonstrating that the antioxidant and antibacterial activities are not a result of synergistic effect between the various chemical compounds in propolis.Keywords: red propolis; antioxidant; antibacterial activity.

Antimicrobial activity of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil.) against food pathogens

Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil.) has been studied for its important biological activities mainly attributed to phenolic compounds. This study evaluated the antimicrobial activity of methanolic and ethanolic extracts of yerba mate against food pathogens, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Enteritidis and Escherichia coli through minimum inhibitory (MIC) and bactericidal (MBC) concentrations, in addition to the determination of chemical composition by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and phenolic content. The most effective extract had its activity evaluated under different pH conditions by growth curve analysis. All microorganisms except E. coli were inhibited. The ethanolic extract showed the lowest MIC/MBC (0.78/0.78 mg/ml), the highest phenolic content (193.9 g.GAE/kg) and the presence of chlorogenic acid derivatives, especially 3-O-caffeoylquinic and caffeic acid. This extract was able to inhibit microbial growth at pH 7 and 8.

The correlation between the phenolic composition and biological activities of two varieties of Brazilian propolis (G6 and G12)

Biological assays that have been performed on different types of Brazilian propolis have shown that type 6 propolis (G6) has a strong antimicrobial activity and a low flavonoid content. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between the phenolic composition and the biological activities displayed by propolis G6 from the state of Bahia and green propolis, also known as type 12 (G12). The values of the flavonoids and the total phenolics in propolis G6 were different than those in propolis G12. Although the G12 variety presented greater antioxidant activity, propolis G6 proved to have greater antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities. The results showed that the phenolic compounds may not be the only compounds responsible for the biological activity. More detailed studies of the chemical composition and an assessment of the biological activity are required to establish the quality of propolis.

Polyphenols and palynological origin of bee pollen of Apis mellifera L. from Brazil. Characterization of polyphenols of bee pollen

The aim of this work was to study the chemical composition, botanical origin and the antioxidant activity of ethanolic extracts of bee pollen. The antioxidant activity was measured by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH•) scavenging method and β-carotene-linoleic assay. The pollen extracts were purified using a XAD2 resin and the amount of phenolic compounds and flavonoids were identified by reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analyses. The phenolic content of bee pollen extracts before and after the resin were 38.6 and 17.8 mg/g of gallic acid equivalent in bee pollen, respectively. Two different flavonoids (rutin and myricetin) which can be accounted by the high antioxidant activity of bee pollen extracts were identified and quantified. The total antioxidant capacity measured by the DPPH• radical method increased significantly in bee pollen extracts purified with hydrophobic resin: 24.84–94.75% (Palmeira). All samples were considered heterofloral, which were composed by pollen from Myrtaceae eucalyptus, Asteraceae and Brassicaceae families, and among others.