Chemical Composition and Therapeutic Properties of Geopropolis and Propolis of Stingless Bees from Brazil: A Review

Brazil is a country of continental dimensions that has a diversity of plants, in different biomes, which provide raw materials such as resins used by several species of native stingless bees to produce geopropolis/propolis. The aim of this chapter was to gather and discuss studies published in the last 5 years (2017–2022), available in the Scopus, Web of Science, and Pubmed databases, on the chemical composition and therapeutic properties of geopropolis/propolis produced by Brazilian stingless bees. In this review, 11 studies that met the eligibility criteria were included. The Brazilian geopropolis/propolis of Melipona, Frieseomelitta, Scaptotrigona, and Tetragonisca genus was the most studied in the last 5 years. A diversity of bioactive compounds was found in Brazilian geopropolis/propolis in the retrieved studies: stigmasterol, sitosterol, amyrin, tocopherol, vanillic acid, caffeic acid, vanillin, p-coumaric acid, benzoic acid, quercetin, luteolin, cinnamic acid, apigenin, gallic acid, ellagic acid, protocatechuic acid, lupenone, kaempferol, naringenin, aromadendrin, and pimaric acid were the phenolic compounds. The highlighted pharmaceutical properties were antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antileishmanial activities, reinforcing the potential healing benefits of Brazilian geopropolis/propolis. Brazilian geopropolis/propolis therapeutic potential was shown mainly in vitro; thus, more studies using animal models and clinical trials are needed to better understand the effects of geopropolis/propolis on health.