Twenty-one propolis samples produced by 12 different Meliponinae species we
re analyzed by GC-MS. Several chemical types of stingless bees' propolis co
uld be grouped, according to the prevailing type of compounds like: "gallic
acid", "diterpenic" and "triterpenic" types. The results confirm that neit
her the bee species nor the geographical location determine the chemical co
mposition of Meliponinae propolis and the choice of its plant source, respe
ctively. This could be explained by the fact that Meliponinae forage over s
hort distances (maximum 500 m) and thus use as propolis source the first pl
ant exudate they encounter during their flights. The antibacterial, antifun
gal and cytotoxic activities of the samples were also investigated. Most sa
mples had weak or no activity against E. coli, weak action against Candida
albicans. Some of them showed significant activity against St. aureus., pre
sumably connected to the high concentration of diterpenic acids. Samples ri
ch in diterpenic acids possessed also high cytotoxic activity (Artemia sali
na test).