Izabela Przybyłek and Tomasz M. Karpinski *
Department of Medical Microbiology, Poznan´ University of Medical Sciences, Wieniawskiego 3, 61-712 Poznan, Poland; iza.przybylek@gmail.com
* Correspondence: tkarpin@ump.edu.pl or tkarpin@interia.pl; Tel.: +48-61-854-61-38
Academic Editor: Juraj Majtan
Abstract
Researchers are continuing to discover all the properties of propolis due to its complex composition and associated broad spectrum of activities. This review aims to characterize the latest scientific reports in the field of antibacterial activity of this substance. The results of studies on the
influence of propolis on more than 600 bacterial strains were analyzed. The greater activity of propolis against Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative was confirmed. Moreover, the antimicrobial activity of propolis from different regions of the world was compared. As a result, high activity of propolis from the Middle East was found in relation to both, Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) strains. Simultaneously, the lowest activity was demonstrated for propolis samples from Germany, Ireland and Korea.
Keywords
propolis; bee product; antibacterial; Staphylococcus aureus; Escherichia coli; polyphenols; terpenoids
