Can Propolis Be a Useful Adjuvant in Brain and Neurological Disorders and Injuries? A Systematic Scoping Review of the Latest Experimental Evidence

• Published in: Biomedicines Vol. 9; no. 9; p. 1227
• Main Authors: Zulhendri, Felix, Perera, Conrad O, Tandean, Steven
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 15.09.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: adjuvant therapy; Alzheimer's disease; Aneurysms; Animal cognition; Animal models; Apoptosis; brain; Brain research; Cell culture; Clinical trials; Cognitive ability; Cytotoxicity; Detoxification; Epilepsy; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Inflammation; Ischemia; Kinases; Movement disorders; Neurodegenerative diseases; Neurological diseases; Neurological disorders; neurology; Nitric oxide; nutraceuticals; Oxidative stress; Parkinson's disease; pharmaceuticals; Propolis; Proteins; Regenerative medicine; Reperfusion; Reviews; Systematic Review; Traumatic brain injury; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; propolis; adjuvant therapy; brain; pharmaceuticals; nutraceuticals; neurology
• ISSN: 2227-9059; 2227-9059
• DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9091227

Propolis has been used therapeutically for centuries. In recent years, research has demonstrated its efficacy as a potential raw material for pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. The aim of the present scoping review is to examine the latest experimental evidence regarding the potential use of propolis in protecting the brain and treating neurological disorders and injuries. A systematic scoping review methodology was implemented. Identification of the research themes and knowledge gap was performed. After applying the exclusion criteria, a total of 66 research publications were identified and retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, Pubmed, and Google Scholar. Several key themes where propolis is potentially useful were subsequently identified, namely detoxification, neuroinflammation, ischemia/ischemia-reperfusion injury/traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and epilepsy models, depression, cytotoxicity, cognitive improvement, regenerative medicine, brain infection, and adverse effects. In conclusion, propolis is shown to have protective and therapeutic benefits in alleviating symptoms of brain and neurological disorders and injuries, demonstrated by various in vitro studies, animal models, and human clinical trials. Further clinical research into this area is needed.