Propolis-induced genotoxicity and antigenotoxicity in Chinese hamster ovary cells

Propolis has been used in folk medicine since ancient times and is known for its antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antitumoral and antioxidant properties. In view of the great therapeutic interest in propolis and the small number of studies regarding its mechanism of action, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the mutagenic and antimutagenic effects of propolis using Chinese hamster ovary cells. Parameters such as the frequency of chromosome aberrations and mitotic index were analyzed. The results showed that, on one hand, the highest propolis tested concentration displayed a small but significant increase in the frequency of chromosome aberrations, and on the other hand, it was observed that the lowest tested concentration significantly reduced the chromosome damage induced by the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin. The present results indicate that propolis shows the characteristic of a “Janus” compound, i.e., propolis is genotoxic at higher concentrations, while at lower concentrations it display a chemopreventive effect on doxorubicin-induced mutagenicity. Flavonoids may be the components of propolis responsible for its both mutagenic and antimutagenic effects, once these compounds may act either as pro-oxidant or as free radicals scavenger, depending on its concentration.