Investigation of chemical composition of propolis extract

Daiva Majienė, Sonata Trumbeckaitė, Danguolė Grūnovienė¹, Liudas Ivanauskas², Antanas Gendrolis³

Institute for Biomedical Research, Kaunas University of Medicine, ¹Study Center of Medicine and Social Sciences, Kaunas College, ²Department of Analytical and Toxicological Chemistry, ³Department of Drug Technology and Pharmaceutical Management, Kaunas University of Medicine, Lithuania

Key words: propolis, chemical composition, gas chromatography / mass spectrometry.

Summary. Propolis is a natural product, produced by bees and containing exudates from plants, mixed with bee wax. Propolis and its ethanolic extract are usually used for treatment and prevention of different diseases. Propolis has antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anesthetic and immunomodulating properties. Till now there is no data about chemical composition of Lithuanian propolis. Thus, the aim of our work was to investigate the chemical composition of Lithuanian propolis and its ethanolic extract by using gas chromatography / mass spectrometry. We found, that the main structural types of compounds were terpenoids, aromatic and aliphatic acid esters. The most of terpenoids were mono- and sesquiterpens: azulene, α-bisabolol, citral, valerenol, etc. Thus, our data show, that the composition of propolis is various and depends on the origin of plants, from where propolis was collected.

Correspondence to L. Ivanauskas, Department of Analytical and Toxicological Chemistry, Kaunas University of Medicine, A. Mickevičiaus 9, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania. E-mail: liudasi@takas.lt

Received 23 March 2004, accepted 31 May 2004