Antileishmanial activity and chemical composition from Brazilian geopropolis produced by stingless bee Melipona fasciculata

ABSTRACT Geopropolis is produced by some stingless bee species such as Melipona fasciculata and consists of a mixture of plant resins, salivary secretions of the bee, wax, and soil. This study evaluated the antileishmanial activity in vitro, cytotoxicity and chemical composition of geopropolis produced by M. fasciculata in the savannah region of Maranhão, Brazil. The geopropolis extract was obtained through maceration using in 70% ethanol. The hydroalcoholic extract of geopropolis after liquid–liquid partition yielded the hexane, chloroformic, ethyl acetate and hydroalcoholic fractions. Ant...