A preliminary study on phenolics, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Acacia mangium and Garcinia mangostana propolis collected by Geniotrigona thoracica

Propolis, a substance produced by bees for hive construction, has piqued major interests for decades due to its potential biological properties including antimicrobial and antioxidant effects. These properties are contributed by its high polyphenol content which can vary based on the botanical origin of propolis. In this study, A. mangium and G. mangostana derived propolis were extracted using supercritical fluid extraction and the chemical species composition, total phenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant activities were compared. Through untargeted mass spectrometry, we found the active compounds present within both propolis samples such as flavonoids, coumarins, terpenes, terpenoids, sugar alcohols and fatty acids. When compared, G. mangostana propolis showed higher antioxidant activity measured by superoxide dismutase enzyme, and had higher antibacterial effect against gram positive S. aureus. This correlated with its higher content of flavonoids compared to A. mangium derived propolis. Our study demonstrates how the difference in chemical composition of propolis derived from A. mangium and G. mangostana can affect their antioxidant and antibacterial properties and highlights its potential for use in nutraceuticals.