Effects of the green propolis on the immune response

Africanized bees have a preference for Baccharis dracunculifolia DC. (Asteraceae) as a source of green propolis in Brazil. Propolis has been always mentioned as an immunomodulatory agent, and in vitro and in vivo assays have provided new information concerning its mechanisms of action. Propolis effects on antibody production have been widely investigated, and its impact on different cells of the immune system, involving the innate and adaptive immune response, has been assessed. Propolis increased the microbicidal activity of macrophages, monocytes, and neutrophils, as well as the lytic activity of natural killer cells against tumor cells. Since humans have used propolis for different purposes and propolis-containing products have been marketed, the knowledge of its properties with scientific basis is not only of academic interest but also of those who use propolis as well.