Effects of Propolis on Infectious Diseases of Medical Relevance
Nelly Rivera-Yañez,
C. Rebeca Rivera-Yañez,
Glustein Pozo-Molina,
Claudia F. Méndez-Catalá,
Julia Reyes-Reali,
María I. Mendoza-Ramos,
Adolfo R. Méndez-Cruz,
Oscar Nieto-Yañez
Affiliations
Nelly Rivera-Yañez
Carrera de Médico Cirujano, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla 54090, Estado de México, Mexico
C. Rebeca Rivera-Yañez
Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla 54090, Estado de México, Mexico
Glustein Pozo-Molina
Carrera de Médico Cirujano, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla 54090, Estado de México, Mexico
Claudia F. Méndez-Catalá
División de Investigación y Posgrado, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla 54090, Estado de México, Mexico
Julia Reyes-Reali
Carrera de Médico Cirujano, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla 54090, Estado de México, Mexico
María I. Mendoza-Ramos
Carrera de Médico Cirujano, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla 54090, Estado de México, Mexico
Adolfo R. Méndez-Cruz
Carrera de Médico Cirujano, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla 54090, Estado de México, Mexico
Oscar Nieto-Yañez
Carrera de Médico Cirujano, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla 54090, Estado de México, Mexico
Infectious diseases are a significant problem affecting the public health and economic stability of societies all over the world. Treatment is available for most of these diseases; however, many pathogens have developed resistance to drugs, necessitating the development of new therapies with chemical agents, which can have serious side effects and high toxicity. In addition, the severity and aggressiveness of emerging and re-emerging diseases, such as pandemics caused by viral agents, have led to the priority of investigating new therapies to complement the treatment of different infectious diseases. Alternative and complementary medicine is widely used throughout the world due to its low cost and easy access and has been shown to provide a wide repertoire of options for the treatment of various conditions. In this work, we address the relevance of the effects of propolis on the causal pathogens of the main infectious diseases with medical relevance; the existing compiled information shows that propolis has effects on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, protozoan parasites and helminths, and viruses; however, challenges remain, such as the assessment of their effects in clinical studies for adequate and safe use.
