Review Article

Stingless Bee Propolis: New Insights for Anticancer Drugs

Table 1

Chemical compounds and anticancer potential of propolis from species of stingless bees in different cancer lineages.

Stingless bee speciesGeographic originType of extractCompounds identifiedAnticancer potentialCell lineageReferences

Trigona laevicepsSamut Songkhram Province, ThailandEthanolic (fractioned) (methanol and dichloromethane)NSAntiproliferativeDuctal carcinoma (BT474)
Lung cancer (ChaGo-I)
Colon adenocarcinoma (SW620)
Liver cancer (HepG2)
Gastric cancer (KATO-III)
[68]
Trigona sp.Maharashtra, IndiaHydroethanolic
Ethanol/water 70/30 %
NSCytotoxicHuman breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7)
Human colon adenocarcinomas (HT-29 and Caco-2)
Murine melanoma (B16F1)
[56]
Trigona incisa
Timia apicalis
Trigona fusco-balteata
Trigona fuscibasis
Kalimantan, IndonesiaMethanolic
Fractioned (ethyl acetate and hexane)
NSCytotoxicDuctal carcinoma (BT474)
Lung cancer (ChaGo-I)
Colon adenocarcinoma (SW620)
Liver cancer (HepG2)
Gastric cancer (KATO-III)
[69]
Melipona orbignyiMato Grosso do Sul, BrazilHydroethanolic
Ethanol/water 80/20 %
Aromatic acids, alcohols, terpenes, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and sugarsCytotoxicHuman leukemia (K562)[58]
Tetragonisca fiebrigiMato Grosso do Sul, BrazilHydroethanolic
Ethanol/water 80/20 %
Benzoic and kaurenoic acids, sugars, retinol, tocopherols, cinnamic acidsCytotoxicHuman leukemia (K562)[55]
Tetragonula iridipennisPudukkottai District, IndiaHydroethanolic
Ethanol/water 70/30 %
NSCytotoxicHuman lung cancer (A549)[70]
Scaptotrigona depilisMato Grosso do Sul, BrazilHydroethanolic
Ethanol/water 80/20 %
β-Sitosterol, β-amyrin, α-amyrin, β-amyrin acetate, tocopherol, vanillin acidCytotoxicHuman leukemia (K562)[36]
Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioidesMato Grosso do Sul, BrazilHydroethanolic
Ethanol/water 80/20 %
Stigmasterol, taraxasterol, β-sitosterol, β-amyrin, α-amyrin, β-amyrin acetate, tocopherol, vanillic acid, caffeic acid, quercetin, luteolin, apigeninCytotoxicHuman leukemia (K562)[36]
Plebeia droryanaMato Grosso do Sul, BrazilHydroethanolic
Ethanol/water 80/20 %
β-Sitosterol, β-amyrin, α-amyrin, β-amyrin acetate, tocopherolCytotoxicHuman leukemia (K562)[65]
Trigona incisaKalimantan, IndonesiaMethanolic
Fractioned (ethyl acetate and hexane)
Isolated compound
Cardol (5-pentadecyl resorcinol)
Cytotoxic, antiproliferativeColon adenocarcinoma (SW620)[71]
Trigona minorBen Tre Province, VietnamEthanolic (fractioned) (chloroform, ethyl acetate, and hexane)Lanostane-type triterpenoid, cycloartane-type triterpenoids, 23-hydroxyisomangiferolic acid B, and 7-hydroxyisomangiferolic acidCytotoxicHuman pancreatic cancer (PANC-1)[72]
Trigona sirindhornaeChanthaburi Province, ThailandEthanolic (fractioned) (methanol and dichloromethane)NSCytotoxicHuman head and neck cancer (HN30)[37]
Tetragonula pagdeniChanthaburi Province, ThailandMethanolicXanthones (α-mangostin and γ-mangostin)CytotoxicColon adenocarcinoma (Caco-2)
Human melanoma (SK-MEL-28)
Liver cancer (Hep-G2)
Papilloma carcinoma (KB)
[37]
Lepidotrigona ventralis
Lepidotrigona terminata
Chanthaburi Province, ThailandMethanolicNSCytotoxicColon adenocarcinoma (Caco-2)
Human melanoma (SK-MEL-28)
Liver cancer (Hep-G2)
Papilloma carcinoma (KB)
[37]
Scaptotrigona bipunctataSanta Catarina, BrazilHydroethanolic
Ethanol/water 70/30 %
Piperidinic alkaloids, flavones, triterpenesCytotoxic, antimigratory, anti-invasionHuman melanoma (SK-MEL-28)[57]
Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioidesSanta Catarina, BrazilHydroethanolic
Ethanol/water 70/30 %
Polyphenols, flavonoids (7-O-aromadendrin, naringenin), p-coumaric acid, pinusenocarp, mepuberinCytotoxic, Antimigratory, Anti-invasionHuman melanoma (SK-MEL-28)[57]
Heterotrigona itamaTerengganu and Kelantan, MalaysiaEthanolicNSCytotoxicHuman cervical carcinoma (HeLa)[73]
Tetragonula biroiPhilippinesEthanolicCarbohydrates, steroids, alkaloids, anthraquinones, phenols, terpenoidsCytotoxic, antiproliferativeGastric cancer (AGS, MKN-45, NUGC-4, MKN-74)[16]
Trigona sp.South Sulawesi, IndonesiaEthanolicDiterpenes, sesquiterpenes, actinopyrones (not confirmed)Cytotoxic, antiangiogenicHuman breast cancer (MDA-MB-231)[74]
Trigona spp.South Sulawesi, IndonesiaHydroethanolic
Ethanol/water 70/30 %
NSCytotoxic, antiproliferativeBreast cancer cell line (MCF-7)[75]
Tetrigona apicalisMalaysiaHydroethanolic
Ethanol/water 80/20 %
Sesquiterpenes (β-caryophyllene, copaene), triterpenoids (β-amyrin, α-amyrin)CytotoxicBreast cancer cell line (MCF-7)[76]

NS: not studied.