Physicochemical characterization and in vitro evaluation of the antioxidant and anticandidal activities of Moroccan propolis

Vet World Vol.15 February-2022 Article-14

Research Article

Veterinary World, 15(2): 341-349

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2022.341-349

Abderrazak Aboulghazi¹, Soumaya Touzani¹, Mouhcine Fadil², and Badiaa Lyoussi¹

1. Department of Biology, Laboratory of Natural Substances, Pharmacology, Environment, Modeling, Health, and Quality of Life (SNAMOPEQ), Faculty of Sciences Dhar Mehraz, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez 30000, Morocco.
2. Physicochemical Laboratory of Inorganic and Organic Materials, Materials Science Center, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco.

Background and Aim: Human mycotic infections are one of the major health problems worldwide. Prolonged use of antimycotic drugs has contributed to the development of resistance in pathogenic fungi. This study was conducted to examine antioxidant and anticandidal activities of Moroccan propolis.

Materials and Methods: Two ethanolic extracts of Moroccan propolis from the Fez-Meknes region were evaluated regarding the following physicochemical parameters: Yield, pH, total carbohydrates, total proteins, total lipids, minerals, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity using ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays. In addition, we assessed the in vitro anticandidal activity against vulvovaginal candidiasis strains, that is, Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida parapsilosis, and Candida krusei, using the broth micromethod according to the CLSI/M27-A3 reference guidelines.

Results: The propolis samples exhibited a mean yield of 16%, with an acidic pH ranging from 4.8 to 5.9; the sample from the Oued Amlil area (OAPEE) contained high levels of resin, balsam, moisture, total carbohydrates, and total lipids: 59.8%, 0.71%, 2%, 1.01 gGlcEq/g, and 120 mg/g, respectively. Moreover, the sample from the Sefrou area (SFPEE) was richer in total proteins and minerals, with values of 2.5 g/100 g and 1.84%, respectively. The total polyphenol and flavonoid content in the propolis extracts were 117.38 and 194.68 mg of gallic acid equivalent/g, and 17.45–27.79 mg of quercetin equivalent/g, respectively. Regarding the antioxidant activity, the most effective propolis extract was the sample from the Sefrou area, at 72.5 μg/mL and 118.78 μmoL Fe2+/g for ABTS-half-maximal inhibitory concentration and FRAP-half maximal effective concentration, respectively. The analysis of phenolic compounds using high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode-array detector revealed the presence of 13 polyphenols. The main compound in the OAPEE sample was epicatechin (310 mg/g), whereas in the SFPEE sample was apigenin (410 mg/g). Regarding the antifungal activity against Candida species, the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum fungicidal concentration of the Moroccan propolis ethanolic extracts ranged between 31.2 and 62.5 μg/mL and 62.5 and 125 μg/mL, respectively, comparable with fluconazole (as a reference antimycotic).

Conclusion: This study suggests that Moroccan propolis (31.2 and 125 μg/mL) may be an important source of bioactive molecules with anticandidal activity. Propolis may be a promising naturally-occurring candidate for the development of antimycotic drugs. Keywords: antioxidant activity, propolis, total flavonoids, total polyphenols, vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Keywords: antioxidant activity, propolis, total flavonoids, total polyphenols, vulvovaginal candidiasis.

How to cite this article: Aboulghazi A, Touzani S, Fadil M, Lyoussi B (2022) Physicochemical characterization and in vitro evaluation of the antioxidant and anticandidal activities of Moroccan propolis, Veterinary World, 15(2): 341-349.

Received: 23-08-2021 Accepted: 13-01-2022 Published online: 15-02-2022

Corresponding author: Badiaa Lyoussi E-mail: lyoussi@gmail.com

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2022.341-349

Copyright: Aboulghazi, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.