The Activity of Red Nigerian Propolis and Some of Its Components against Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma congolense

S. Alenezi, Samya; D. Alenezi, Naif; Unekwuojo Ebiloma, Godwin; J. Natto, Manal; Abubakar Ungogo, Marzuq; O. Igoli, John; Ferro, Valerie; I. Gray, Alexander; Fearnley, James; P. de Koning, Harry; Watson, David

doi:10.3390/molecules28020622

The Activity of Red Nigerian Propolis and Some of Its Components against Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma congolense

S. Alenezi, Samya; D. Alenezi, Naif; Unekwuojo Ebiloma, Godwin; J. Natto, Manal; Abubakar Ungogo, Marzuq; O. Igoli, John; Ferro, Valerie; I. Gray, Alexander; Fearnley, James; P. de Koning, Harry; Watson, David

Authors

Samya S. Alenezi

Naif D. Alenezi

Dr Godwin Ebiloma G.U.Ebiloma@salford.ac.uk
Lecturer

Manal J. Natto

Marzuq Abubakar Ungogo

John O. Igoli

Valerie Ferro

Alexander I. Gray

James Fearnley

Harry P. de Koning

David Watson

Abstract

Propolis is a resin that is gathered by bees from exudates produced by various plants. Its exact chemical composition depends on the plants available near the hive. Bees use propolis to coat the surfaces of the hive, where it acts as an anti-infective. Regardless of the chemical composition of propolis, it is always anti-protozoal, probably because protozoan parasites, particularly Lotmarium passim, are widespread in bee populations. The protozoa Trypanosoma brucei and T. congolense cause disease in humans and/or animals. The existing drugs for treating these diseases are old and resistance is an increasingly severe problem. The many types of propolis present a rich source of anti-trypanosomal compounds—from a material gathered by bees in an environmentally friendly way. In the current work, red Nigerian propolis from Rivers State, Nigeria was tested against T. brucei and T. congolense and found to be highly active (EC50 1.66 and 4.00 µg/mL, respectively). Four isoflavonoids, vestitol, neovestitol, 7-methylvestitol and medicarpin, were isolated from the propolis. The isolated compounds were also tested against T. brucei and T. congolense, and vestitol displayed the highest activity at 3.86 and 4.36 µg/mL, respectively. Activities against drug-resistant forms of T. brucei and T. congolense were similar to those against wild type.

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Jan 4, 2023
Online Publication Date	Jan 7, 2023
Publication Date	Jan 7, 2023
Deposit Date	Aug 3, 2025
Publicly Available Date	Aug 4, 2025
Journal	Molecules
Electronic ISSN	1420-3049
Publisher	MDPI
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	28
Issue	2
DOI	https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28020622