Plant origin of Okinawan propolis: honeybee behavior observation and phytochemical analysis |
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Authors: | Shigenori Kumazawa Jun Nakamura Masayo Murase Mariko Miyagawa Mok-Ryeon Ahn Shuichi Fukumoto |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Shizuoka, 52-1 Yada, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka 422-8526, Japan;(2) Honeybee Science Research Center, Tamagawa University, Machida Tokyo, 194-8610, Japan;(3) Pokka Corporation, 45-2 Juuniso, Kumanoshou, Kitanagoya Aichi, 481-8515, Japan |
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Abstract: | Propolis is a natural resinous product collected by honeybees from certain plants. It has gained popularity as a food and
alternative medicine. Poplar and Baccharis are well known as the source plants of European and Brazilian propolis, respectively. However, the propolis from Okinawa,
Japan, contains some prenylflavonoids not seen in other regions such as Europe and Brazil, suggesting that the plant origin
of Okinawan propolis is a particular plant that grows in Okinawa. To identify the plant origin of Okinawan propolis, we observed
the behavior of honeybees as they collected material from plants and caulked it inside the hive. Honeybees scraped resinous
material from the surface of plant fruits of Macaranga tanarius and brought it back to their hive to use it as propolis. We collected samples of the plant and propolis, and compared their
constituents by high-performance liquid chromatography with a photo-diode array detector. We also compared their 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl
radical scavenging activity. The chemical constituents and biological activity of the ethanol extracts of the plant did not
differ from those of propolis. This indicates directly that the plant origin of Okinawan propolis is M. tanarius.
S. K. and J. N. contributed equally to this work. |
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Keywords: | Apis mellifera Propolis Okinawa Plant origin Macaranga tanarius Prenylflavonoid |
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