Phytochemical, Morphological, and Biological Investigations of Propolis from Central Chile Susanne Valcic3, Gloria Montenegro15 , Ana-Maria Mujicab, Guacolda Avilab, Scott Franzblauc, Maya P. Singhd, William M. Maiesed, and Barbara N. Timmermann3 a Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, U.S.A. b Departamento de Ecologi'a, Pontificia Universidad Catölica de Chile, Casilla 114-D. Santiago, Chile c Pharmacology Research Department, Laboratory Research Branch, Gillis W. Long Hansen’s Disease Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70894, U.S.A. d Natural Products Research Section, Wyeth-Ayerst Research, 401 N. Middletown Road, Pearl River, New York 10965, U.S.A. Z. Naturforsch. 54c, 406-416 (1999); received October 29, 1998/February 15, 1999 Propolis, Central Chile, Microscopical Analysis, Isolation, Phenylpropanes, Dihydrobenzofurans, Benzopyrans, Antimicrobial Activity Propolis from Central Chile was investigated for its plant origin by microscopical analysis of pollen grains and leaf fragments found in the sample. The pollen grains that appear with significant higher frequency in the sample corresponded to four native and two introduced species, whereas leaf fragments corresponded to four native species. Seventeen phenolic com pounds that belong to the phenylpropane, benzaldehyde, dihydrobenzofuran, or benzopyran classes, were isolated from an organic extract that was found to have a moderate growth inhibitory activity against Mycobacterium avium , M. tuberculosis, and two strains of Staphylo coccus aureus. The components responsible for activity were determined. Introduction Propolis is a complex mixture of beeswax, small amounts of sugar and plant exudates collected by honeybees (Apis mellifera) from various trees, shrubs, and herbs (Marcucci, 1995; Greenaway etal ., 1990). The percentage of bees foraging for propolis is very low in comparison to those collect ing nectar or pollen and the amount of propolis in the beehive differs between the colonies (Goj- merac, 1980). The word propolis is derived from the Greek “pro”, for or in defense of, and “polis”, the city, that is defense of the city (or the hive). Bees use the sticky, resinous, dark-yellowish to light-brown- ish material, also called “bee-glue”, to fill cracks and crevices; reduce or close openings to the out side (Gojmerac, 1980); to strengthen and join the cells, and to seal their hives from penetration of water. These properties create an unfavorable envi ronment for microorganism development (Serra Reprint requests to Prof. Dr. B. N. Timmermann. Fax: (520) 626-4063 E-mail: btimmer@pharmacy.arizona.edu Bonvehf and Ventura Coll, 1994) and prevent the decomposition of creatures (such as mice and bee tles) which have been killed by the bees after an in vasion of the hive (Greenaway et al., 1990; Brumfitt et al., 1990). Propolis is known for its antiseptic, antimycotic, antibacterial, antiviral, antiprotozoal, and antiinflammatory properties (Marcucci, 1995). Since ancient times, propolis has been employed in folk medicine for the treatment of malignant tu mors and wounds (Ioirish, 1978) and is still widely used in Europe as a component in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, such as anti-acne prepara tions, facial creams, ointments, and lotions (Mar cucci, 1995; Lejeune et al., 1988). The bud exudates of poplar ( Populus spp., Salicaceae) and horse- chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum L., Hippocasta- naceae) trees are mentioned as the main sources of European and North American propolis (Greena way et al., 1987) which are known to consist of vola tile oils and phenolics mostly flavones, flavanones and flavonols (Greenaway et al., 1990; Garcfa- Viguera et al., 1993; Bankova et al., 1994). In contrast to propolis of the Northern Hemi sphere, Chilean propolis should have a different 0939-5075/99/0500-0406 $ 06.00 © 1999 Verlag der Zeitschrift für Naturforschung, Tübingen •www.znaturforsch.com • D