Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of propolis from several regions of Korea

Biological activities of different propolis extracts in Korea were examined for the evaluation of quality comparison with that from Brazil (BZ). Total polyphenol and flavonoid contents of propolis extracts from Yeosu (YS) and Cheorwon (CW), whose values were higher than BZ, were also shown to be more aboudant. The extracts of YS and CW also showed strong antioxidant activities, using the linoleic acid peroxidation and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging activity. However, the extract from BZ had less active antioxidant activity on linoleic acid peroxidation and DPPH free radical-scavenging activity of less than 70% than other extracts. The DPPH free radical-scavenging activity seems to relate with the antioxidant activity of linoleic acid peroxidation. The propolis with antioxidant activity also had DPPH free radical-scavenging activity. The extracts of YS and CW had effective antimicrobial activities on Staphilococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella typhimurium and Candida albicans. Strong antioxidant, radical-scavenging and antimicrobial activities of YS and CW seemed to relate with high values, total polyphenol, and flavonoid contents.