Comparative study of chemical composition and the antimutagenic activity of propolis extracts obtained by means of various solvents

The present study aimed to evaluate the chemical characterization and antimutagenic potential of propolis extracted in three different solvents (etanol, polyethylene glycol and water). The chemical characterizations of different extracts of propolis were identified using HPLC-DAD and LC-MS/MS and polyethylene glycol extract of propolis were found to be richer than the etanolic and water extracts of propolis in terms of chemical composition. In addition, the antimutagenic activities of propolis extracts were determined using Ames assay. Three concentrations (3, 1.5 and 0.75 mg plate-1) of ethanolic and polyethylene glycol extracts of propolis; (0.3, 0.15 and 0.075 mg plate-1) of water extract of propolis were used as active materials. Propolis extracted in three different solvents indicated strong antimutagenic activity against both 4-nitro-o-phenylendiamine and sodium azide mutagens in the S.typhimurium TA98 and 100 strains at all concentrations. Ethanolic extract of propolis had the highest inhibition rates for both bacterial strains and these rates were 98.94% and 97.37% for TA98 and TA100, respectively. The inhibition rates of polyethylene glycol extract of propolis ranged from 68.27% to 98.94%. Moreover, it was determined that water extract of propolis had the lowest inhibition rates, which were 56.86% and 55.35% for TA98 and TA100, respectively. The toxicological safety of natural products such as propolis has gained great importance due to extensive usage.