Evaluation of Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Stingless Bee Propolis (tetragonula Iridipennis) of Tamilnadu, India

Objective: Propolis is a mixture of plant resins and bee secretions. This study is to evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of stingless bee propolis (Tetragonulairidipennis), rearedfromPudukottai region of Tamilnadu, India and also to determine the total phenol and total flavonoid contents of the sample responsible for these properties. Methods: Stingless bee propolis was extracted by ultra sonication method and was characterized by UV-Visible, FT-IR and SEM analysis. Total Phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined by using Folin-Ciocalteu spectrophotometric method and Aluminium chloride colorimetric method respectively. DPPH radical scavenging assay was used to find the antioxidant activity of the sample. Antibacterial activity was determined by using standard agar well diffusion method. Results: Total polyphenol content of the sample was 150μg/ml of Gallic acid equivalent (GAE) and the flavonoid content was 6mg/g of Quercetin equivalent (QE). The antioxidant potential of stingless bee propolis is found to be 83 %. The sample showed significant antimicrobial activity against various human pathogens. Conclusion: Stingless bee propolis (Tetragonulairidipennis) collected from Pudukottairegion, Tamilnadu is a potential natural antioxidant source and is a promising antimicrobial drug for various bacterial infections.