Therapeutic property of propolis extract in systemic infection induced in rats

Propolis is a natural product used to treat inflammation and microbial infections. This study was performed to evaluate the effects of standardized propolis extract in behavioral and cognitive changes resulting from systemic infection. These changes were evaluated in Wistar rats anesthetized before the surgical procedure of cecal ligation and puncture. They were administered with the antibiotics clindamicine (25 mg/kg) plus gentamicin (3 mg/kg) or propolis extract (100 mg/kg). The control animals received neither ligation nor perforation. All animals were tested in Open field (locomotion activity), Elevated plus maze - EPM (anxiety), Forced swimming (depression) and Inhibitory avoidance task (memory). Animals subjected to systemic infection showed a decrease in the percentage of frequency of entries and time spent in the open arms of the EPM. In the forced swimming test sepsis’ survivor rats showed a reduced immobility time, suggestive of stress, whereas in the inhibitory avoidance test an impairment in short and long-term memories was observed. Propolis extract blocked these results. The results shown, at least in part, that the treatments with propolis extract counteracted the systemic infection-derived impairment in central nervous system responses.