Wound healing activity and chemical composition of geopropolis from Melipona subnitida

Abstract

Geopropolis collected by stingless bees is a product widely used in the semiarid Northeast region of Brazil. The wound healing activity, palynological analysis, free-radical scavenging activities, and the chemical composition of the hydroalcoholic extract of six samples from jandaíra geopropolis were determined. The wound healing activity was evaluated using 10% geopropolis hydroalcoholic extract added to the formulation incorporated into a base of Lannette cream, and the chemical composition of six samples was determinate by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The detected compounds in the five samples (1–5) were classified as flavonoid aglycones (flavonols, flavanonols, flavonones, flavones, and chalcones). In sample 6, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, and hydrolysable tannins were identified. Analysis of the pollen types in geopropolis showed that pollen from Leguminosae was predominant, indicating the visit of bees in the species of this family. This sample (6), with the highest content of phenolic compounds and high free-scavenging activity, was tested to evaluate the wound healing potential. The topical application of geopropolis (10%) increased the wound healing rate and re-epithelialization of wounds in rats. Our data indicate that the mixture of phenolic components in the geopropolis may contribute to the activities of free-radical scavenging and wound healing. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]