Are the anti-inflammatory compounds present in Brazilian propolis produced and/or modified by the native microbiota of this holobiont system?

• Grant number: 24/14479-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Support Program for Fixating Young Doctors
• Start date: January 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Science
• Principal Investigator: Roberto Gomes de Souza Berlinck
• Grantee: Josy Goldoni Lazarini
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/02043-3 - Anti-inflammatory compounds present in Brazilian propolis are produced and/or modified by this native microbiota of this holobiont system?, AP.R

Abstract

Propolis is a resinous mixture derived from the resins and flower buds of plants, collected by Apis mellifera bees. Most studies relate the biological activity of propolis to its chemical composition (flavonoids, phenolic acids, chalcones, among other secondary metabolites). It is believed that the chemical composition of the different types of propolis is related to the plants used by bees as a source of pollen for propolis, such as Dalbergia ecastophyllum (red propolis), Baccharis dracunculifolia (green propolis) and Mimosa tenuiflora (green propolis from the Caatinga). However, it is not yet understood whether the presence of a microbiota, both in botanical origin and propolis, can eventually influence the composition of the secondary metabolites present in the different types of propolis and consequently their biological activity. Thus, this project proposes to investigate the microbiota of green propolis from Minas Gerais, Caatinga, and red propolis, and to verify the possible contribution of these microorganisms in the production and/or transformation of anti-inflammatory compounds. Specific objectives include: a) to isolate and cultivate bacteria from propolis samples and their respective botanical origins in order to carry out a metabolomic investigation on the bacterial biotransformation of plant metabolites; b) to perform a chemical fractionation of extracts from different types of propolis and conduct a screening for anti-inflammatory activity (activation of NF-ºB and determination of TNF-±) selecting the most promising ones; c) to perform metabolomic analyses of the obtained fractions with annotations for the existence of new and/or modified compounds followed by spectroscopic (NMR and others) and spectrometric (MS) analyses if necessary; d) to evaluate the mechanism of anti-inflammatory action by mRNAseq using Illumina platforms and cytokines by multiplexing of compounds that are isolated and identified; e) evaluate the in vivo toxicity of these compounds in a Galleria mellonella model and evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity in a co-culture model of Caco-2 and RAW 264.7 intestinal cells.