The in Vitro Antimicrobial Efficacy of Propolis against Four Oral Pathogens: A Review

Dentistry Journal

Nadine Michèle Waldner-Tomic¹  Rosmarie Vanni²  Georgios N. Belibasakis³  Thomas Thurnheer³  Thomas Attin⁴ 

[1] Private Practice, Zurich, Switzerland; E-Mail:;Private Practice, Männedorf, Switzerland; E-Mail:;Section for Oral Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Oral Biology, Center of Dental Medicine, University of Zurich, Plattenstrasse 11, CH 8032 Zürich, Switzerland; E-Mails:;Clinic of Preventive Dentistry, Periodontology and Cariology, Center of Dental Medicine, University of Zurich, Plattenstrasse 11, CH 8032 Zürich, Switzerland; E-Mail:

关键词: propolis;    antimicrobial activity;    biofilm;    in vitro;    caries;    periodontitis;   

DOI  :  10.3390/dj2030085

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

This study screened the available evidence for the in vitro antimicrobial efficacy of propolis, a natural herbal resin bee product, against a selection of three bacterial species of relevance to oral diseases. For this purpose, papers dealing with laboratory studies assessing minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) or the agar diffusion method to analyze the antimicrobial properties of propolis on three oral pathogens (S. mutans, P. gingivalis, F. nucleatum) and a yeast (C. albicans) are reviewed. Overall, a positive antimicrobial effect could be shown. However, when compared to the commonly used control substances (e.g., specific antibiotics, antiseptics and antifungals), propolis appeared less effective, depending on the bacterial strain, and required higher concentrations than the control substances, in order to show a measurable effect. Nevertheless, propolis as a natural herbal resin bee product can be considered as a natural antiseptic agent within the range of other herbal products, like sanguinarine. Therefore, it may be a valuable compound of non-synthetic, natural origin for patients seeking complementary agents and alternatives for “hard” chemicals.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.