Advances in Chemical Composition and Biological Activity of Mexican Propolis

Propolis is a product created by honeybees from vegetal sources. Nowadays it is considered a medicinally or functional food because of the phytochemicals contained in it. Numerous papers have been published reporting the chemical composition of different countries around the globe due to its highly variability(phenolic compounds, sugars, terpenoids). Due to the variability in its chemical composition, various biological activities have been reported, among them are anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticarcinogenic, among other. In Mexico has history on beekeeping that was modified by the Spanish conquest but endures to these days. Therefore, it is important to exploit the characteristics of the propolis of our region in order to know both their composition and beneficial properties.