Study On Enhancing Immune And Toxicology Of Propolis Soft Capsule

Propolis, as a brownish red, brownish yellow chocolate brown or green viscous solid, is a mixture of resins collected by honeybee from young bud or bark wound of propolis plants, beeswax and secretion from mandible. It is welcomed for its higher nutrition values and health function. In recent years, with a greate advance of studies on active compositions and biological functions of propolis, hundreds of components were isolated and identified from propolis. Propolis, as a multi-functions material, has been developed to many functional foods. The development of propolis soft capsule can lay a foundation for the utilization of propolis in functional foods. Therefore, Enhancing immune and toxicology of propolis soft capsule were researched in this study.Results of this study showed that propolis soft capsule had insignificant effect on the body weight and organ/body weight of mice after supplemented with propolis soft capsule for 30days. In cellular immunity assay, middle dose of propolis soft capsule could accelerate ConA-induced mice spleen lymphocytes trancformation and high dose of propolis soft capsule had a positive effect on DNFB-induced delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction, which suggests that propolis soft capsule can enhance cell immune function of mice. In humoral immunity assays, middle and high doses of propolis soft capsule significantly enhanced the ability of mice to generate antibody producing cells, but no effect on serum hemolysin content for all three doses of propolis soft capsule. In monocyte-macrophages assays, all three doses of propolis soft capsule had insignificant effects on carbon clearance rate (P>0.05), while high dose of propolis soft capsule significantly enhanced phagocytic function of abdominal macrophage. Middle and high doses of propolis soft capsule also significantly enhanced NK cell activity. All results above imply that propolis soft capsule can enhance immunity.Acute toxicity test, genetic toxicity test (Ames test, mouse bone marrow micronucleus test, and sperm shape abnormality test in mice), and 30 days feeding test were employed for the toxicological evaluation on edible safety of propolis soft capsule. Results showed that propolis soft capsule had no effect on body weight of mice, and negative results were found in Ames test, mouse bone marrow micronucleus test, and sperm shape abnormality test in mice. Meanwhile, No unwonted change in growth and development, biochemical index, and pathology in organ, body and tissue was found. Therefore, propolis soft capsule was considered to be non-toxic and non-genetic toxicity class.