Neuroprotection by Brazilian green propolis against in vitro and in vivo ischemic neuronal damage

We examined whether Brazilian green propolis, a widely used folk medicine, has a neuroprotective function in vitro and/or in vivo. In vitro, propolis significantly inhibited neurotoxicity induced in neuronally differentiated PC12 cell cultures by either 24 h hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) exposure or 48 h serum deprivation. Regarding the possible underlying mechanism, propolis protected against oxidative stress ( lipid peroxidation) in mouse forebrain homogenates and scavenged free radicals [ induced by diphenyl-p-picrylhydrazyl ( DPPH). In mice in vivo, propolis [ 30 or 100 mg/kg; intraperitoneally administered four times ( at 2 days, 1 day and 60 min before, and at 4 h after induction of focal cerebral ischemia by permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion)] reduced brain infarction at 24 h after the occlusion. Thus, a propolis-induced inhibition of oxidative stress may be partly responsible for its neuroprotective function against in vitro cell death and in vivo focal cerebral ischemia.