(A235) Potential delivery methods of bee propolis for postoperative healing in oropharyngeal surgery

Introduction: The uses and mechanism of action of bee propolis as an anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, and antioxidant in wound healing have been researched extensively, yet there is no universally accepted method for the delivery of propolis in oropharyngeal wound healing. We analyzed the existing literature on proposed delivery methods to understand how propolis can be applied to oropharyngeal lesions.

Methods: We systematically identified peer-reviewed studies published in English after 2018 on the topic of bee propolis administration using the key search terms “propolis,” “wound,” “delivery,” and “administration” on PubMed. The characteristics of the studies, methods, and results were analyzed by the two authors.

Results: The search yielded 42 results. Two were excluded during title and abstract screening due to irrelevance and repetition. The remaining 40 studies evaluated different delivery methods including ethanolic extracts, hydrogels, polysaccharide matrices, organic (cotton) dressings, nanoparticles, biodegradable polymers, and electrospun matrices. The efficacy of each delivery method was assessed differently in each study using variables such as tensile strength, thermal stability, absorbency, cell adhesion, dispersal, stability, and biocompatibility. Each delivery method varied in antibiotic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing efficacy in different tissues but all revealed a dose-dependent improvement in the rate and/or quality of wound healing.

Conclusions: While current literature does not directly address the delivery of bee propolis in oropharyngeal lesions, our findings revealed that multiple administration methods could be used in oropharyngeal tissue with nano-based materials showing the most promise.