International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials

Korean Society of Sericultural Science (한국잠사학회)
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Effect of Propolis Volatiles from a Stingless Honeybee(Apidae : Meliponinae) on the Immune System of Elderly Residents in a Nursing Home

  • Suzuki, Seiko (Department of Clinical Social Services, Faculty of Social Welfare, Iwate Prefectural University) ;
  • Amano, Kazuhiro (Institute of Stingless Honey Bee Science) ;
  • Suzuki, Koichi (Department of Agro-Bioscience, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University)
  • Published : 2009.09.30
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Abstract

We report an evaluation of the immunostimulatory effect of propolis volatiles from a stingless honeybee. We studied 34 elderly residents at a special nursing home. Twenty-one subjects were treated with propolis, 8 with $Binch\hat{o}$ charcoal and 5 subjects acted as controls. Subjects treated with either propolis or Bincho charcoal were housed in rooms separated from the other non-study residents in the nursing home. The effects of each treatment on natural killer (NK) cell activity and lymphocyte levels were examined after 2 months and then for a longer period. The results indicated that NK cell activity was significantly improved to that within the normal range only after propolis treatment.

Keywords

References

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