# Propolis as Natural Product in the Oral Cavity Bacterial Infections Treatment: A Systematic Review
###### Abstract  
The up-to-date records show that approximately 10% of people worldwide suffer from periodontal diseases and about 50% of adults have some sort of moderate oral cavity disease. Therefore, oral cavity diseases represent the group of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases in the world. Thus, novel, natural, safe, and effective methods of treatment need to be found. In this study, a systematic search was performed in PubMed and Google Scholar up to March 2022 to select research evaluating the activity of propolisis against bacteria responsible for oral cavity diseases. Peer-reviewed journals in English containing information about the _in vitro_ and _in vivo_ studies were included in our research. We excluded the records without access, written in another language than English, thesis or book chapters, and review papers, and we rejected the texts when the authors did not write about the antibacterial activity. Collected results of the inhibition zone as well as average MIC and MBC values indicated that propolisis exhibits antimicrobial activity against the strains of bacteria which cause, e.g., periodontitis, gingivitis, caries, subgingival plaque, supragingival plaque, recurrent aphthous ulcers (RAS), and pharyngitis. However, before propolisis can be commonly used, more research is needed to fully understand its composition and antibacterial mechanism of action. proclaims, antimicrobial activity; oral cavity diseases; bacterial infections +
Footnote †: journal: Medical Medical University of Silesia in Katovice, Kasztanowa 3, 41-20 Sosnowiec, Poland 1  
Table 1 depicts the main bacterial strains which are responsible for oral cavity microbial infections. The medications which can be applied to treat or prevent diseases of the oral cavity, possible side effects of treatment, and the causes of tooth decay were described in our previous publication [45]. Propolis called \"bee glue\" is a gummy resinous material made by the honeybees (_Apis mellifera_) from resins they collect from leaf buds and bark of different plants [46]. The chemical content of propolis depends on the geographical zone of origin, specificity of local flora, plant sources, and the collection season [46; 47]. Propolis is rich in biologically active compounds (over 300 compounds): resin and balsams (50-70%) [46], essential oils and wax (30-50%) [46], pollens (5-10%) [46], amino acids [46; 47], enzymes (amber dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphatase, and acid phosphatases) [48], minerals (Mg, Ca, K, Na, Cu, Zn, Mn, Se, Fe, Si, Ni, Co, and V) [46; 48; 49], vitamins (A, B1, B2, B6, C, D, and E) [46; 47; 48], glucose [47], flavonoids (pinochemwin, acacetin, chrysin, rutin, luteolin, kaempfer, apigenin, myricetin, catechin, naringenin, galangin, caffe and 3,4-dimethylcaffeic acids, isoferulic acid, tectochrysin, pinostrobin, and quercetin) [46; 49; 50; 51], phenolic compounds (arterpillin C) [46; 50], aromatic acids (ferulic, cinnamic, caffe, benzoic, butyric, salicylic, and \(p\)-cumaric) [47; 49; 50], esters (phenethyl ester) [48; 50], terpenes (terpineol, camphor, geraniol, nerol, and farresol) [48; 49], and beta-steroids [48]. Bee glue possesses antioxidant activity (more potent than vitamin C), antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and antiinflammatory properties [46]. The amount of 70 mg/day of propolisols has been determined as a safe dose of propolisols for a healthy person. More than 7.34 g/kg (LD\({}_{50}\)) of propolisols extract constitutes a median lethal dose for conscious mice, whereas 150 mg of pinochemrin (a component of propolisols)