Phytochemical, morphological, and biological investigations of propolis from Central Chile

Propolis from Central Chile was investigated for its plant origin by micros copical analysis of pollen grains and leaf fragments found in the sample. T he pollen grains that appear with significant higher frequency in the sampl e corresponded to four native and two introduced species, whereas lear frag ments corresponded to four native species. Seventeen phenolic compounds tha t belong to the phenylpropane, benzaldehyde, dihydrobenzofuran, or benzopyr an classes, were isolated from an organic extract that was found to have a moderate growth inhibitory activity against Mycobacterium avium, M. tubercu losis, and two strains of Staphylococcus aureus. The components responsible for activity were determined.