Cardile Venera, Panico Annamaria, Gentile Barbara, Borrelli Francesca, Russo Alessandra
Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Catania, v.le A. Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy.
Life Sci. 2003 Jul 11;73(8):1027-35. doi: 10.1016/s0024-3205(03)00381-3.
Propolis, a natural product derived from plant resins collected by the honeybees, has been used for thousands of years in folk medicine for several purposes. The extract that contains amino acids, phenolic acids, phenolic acid esters, flavonoids, cinnamic acid, terpenes and caffeic acid, possesses several biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, immunostimulatory, anti-viral and anti-bacterial. In this study, we assay the effects of propolis extract on the production of key molecules released during chronic inflammatory events as nitric oxide (NO) and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in cultures of human cartilaginous tissues and chondrocytes, stimulated with interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta). We observed that this natural compound and its active principle, caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), were able to contrast the harmful effects of IL-1beta. Our data clearly demonstrated the protective action of propolis in cartilage alteration, that appears greater than that elicited by indomethacin, commonly employed in joint diseases.
蜂胶是一种源自蜜蜂采集的植物树脂的天然产物，数千年来一直被用于民间医学的多种用途。该提取物含有氨基酸、酚酸、酚酸酯、黄酮类化合物、肉桂酸、萜类化合物和咖啡酸，具有多种生物活性，如抗炎、免疫刺激、抗病毒和抗菌。在本研究中，我们检测了蜂胶提取物对人软骨组织和软骨细胞培养物中，在慢性炎症事件中释放的关键分子一氧化氮（NO）和糖胺聚糖（GAGs）产生的影响，这些培养物用白细胞介素-1β（IL-1β）刺激。我们观察到这种天然化合物及其活性成分咖啡酸苯乙酯（CAPE）能够对抗IL-1β的有害作用。我们的数据清楚地证明了蜂胶在软骨改变中的保护作用，这种作用似乎比常用于关节疾病的吲哚美辛所引发的保护作用更大。
