Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Lithuanian and Czech propolis

Abstract

We investigated 10 samples of propolis, which were collected in different regions of Lithuania and Czechia. The highest concentrations of phenolic compounds (1.64–1.53 g/100 ml) were found in samples of PEE collected from hives located near deciduous and mixed forests, and the lowest concentrations came from (0.18 g/100 ml) cultivated meadows far from forests. All samples of PEE (1:10) which is most often used in medicina practice killed gram-positive, gram-negative bacteria and fungi. Four Times diluted Czech PEE samples showed antimicrobial activity against all investigated microorganisms, Lithuanian PEE samples inhibited the growth of gram-positive and gram-positive spore-forming bacteria, but the growth of gram-negative bacteria was not affected. These data show that a correlation between the concentrations of phenolic compounds and flavonoids and antimicrobial activity has been neglected. Keywords: propolis ethanol extract, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, antimicrobial activity