Biofunctional Textiles: Antioxidant and Antibacterial Finishings of Cotton with Propolis and Honey.

The growing activity in the textile industry has been demanding the search for new and innovative technologies to meet consumers' needs regarding more sustainable and ecological processes, with functionality receiving more attention. Bee products are known for their wide spectra of properties, including antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Propolis and honey are the most popular and used since ancient times for the most diverse applications due to their health benefits.

Further Insights on Honey and Propolis from Gerês (Portugal) and Their Bioactivities: Unraveling the Impact of Beehive Relocation.

Propolis, a bee product, is known for its variability of chemical and bioactive profiles. However, Portuguese propolis from Gerês, normally obtained by mixing propolis from three places-Bugalho, Felgueiras and Toutelo-has shown similar chemical and biological profiles over the years. Recently, a new propolis place-Roca-was added to the apiary to replace Bugalho, lost to the 2017 wildfires, hence questioning the previously claimed constancy of Gerês propolis.

Phenolic Compounds Contribution to Portuguese Propolis Anti-Melanoma Activity.

Melanoma is the deadliest type of skin cancer, with about 61,000 deaths annually worldwide. Late diagnosis increases mortality rates due to melanoma's capacity to metastasise rapidly and patients' resistance to the available conventional therapies. Consequently, the interest in natural products as a strategy for drug discovery has been emerging.

Propolis Efficacy: The Quest for Eco-Friendly Solvents.

Propolis, a natural product made by bees with resins and balsams, is known for its complex chemical composition and remarkable bioactivities. In this study, propolis extraction was studied seeking extracts with strong bioactivities using less orthodox solvents, with some derived from apiary products. For that, a propolis sample collected from Gerês apiary in 2018 (G18) was extracted by maceration with six different solvents: absolute ethanol, ethanol/water (7:3), honey brandy, mead, propylene glycol and water.

Mixing Propolis from Different Apiaries and Harvesting Years: Towards Propolis Standardization?

Global demand for safe, effective and natural products has been increasing in parallel with consumers' concerns about personal and environmental health. Propolis, a traditional and potentially medicinal product with several health benefits, is a beehive product with a worldwide reputation. However, despite the bioactivities reported, the low productivity and high chemical heterogeneity have been extensively hampering broader industrial uses.

Selective Cytotoxicity of Portuguese Propolis Ethyl Acetate Fraction towards Renal Cancer Cells.

Renal cell carcinoma is the most lethal cancer of the urological system due to late diagnosis and treatment resistance. Propolis, a beehive product, is a valuable natural source of compounds with bioactivities and may be a beneficial addition to current anticancer treatments. A Portuguese propolis sample, its fractions (-hexane, ethyl acetate, -butanol and water) and three subfractions (-), were tested for their toxicity on A498, 786-O and Caki-2 renal cell carcinoma cell lines and the non-neoplastic HK2 kidney cells.

Portuguese Propolis Antitumoral Activity in Melanoma Involves ROS Production and Induction of Apoptosis.

Melanoma is the most aggressive and life-threatening skin cancer type. The melanoma genome is the most frequently mutated, with the mutation present in 40-60% of melanoma cases. -mutated melanomas are characterized by a higher aggressiveness and progression.

Propolis antibacterial and antioxidant synergisms with gentamicin and honey.

Aims: Assess the antibacterial and antioxidant effects of ethanol extracts of Portuguese propolis samples when combined with gentamicin, a widely used aminoglycoside antibiotic, or with honey, collected from the same apiary as propolis.

Methods And Results: Using the agar dilution method and DPPH free radical scavenging assay, antimicrobial and antioxidant synergistic effects between propolis and gentamicin or honey were assessed. Synergism between propolis and gentamicin was observed for all the tested extracts and against all the indicator bacteria, with particular interest against the Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with a threefold decrease of the gentamicin MIC if mixed with 25 µg ml propolis.

Constancy of the bioactivities of propolis samples collected on the same apiary over four years.

Natural products, like propolis, have been subject of interest by several industries mainly due to their biological activities. However, besides being produced in low amounts propolis has a great variability in terms of chemical composition and bioactivities' profiles, constituting a problem for the development of propolis-based products and for its acceptance by the medical community. The aim of this work relates to the study of the bioactivities, in particular the antioxidant and the antimicrobial properties, as well as the chemical characterization of Portuguese propolis samples collected in an apiary sited at Gerês (G) along four consecutive years.