Effect of water extract of turkish propolis on mitochondrial membrane potential in human laryngeal epidermoid carcinoma cell lines (HEP-2)

Propolis is the generic name for the resinous substance collected by honeybees from the buds of various plant sources and it is used by bees to seal holes in their honeycombs, smooth out the internal walls, and protect the entrance of bee hive against intruders. The recent studies have shown that propolis extracts have induced apoptotic cell death by decreasing mitochondrial membrane potential in various cancer cells. The aim of this study is investigate what kind of changes the Turkish propolis cause on mitochondrial membrane potential of human laryngeal epidermoid cell lines (HEp-2), by considering its anticancer features. For this purpose, the effects the water extracts of Turkish propolis (WEP 1-3 mg/mL) and the ethanolic extracts of Turkish propolis (EEP 0.075-3 mg/mL) to Hep-2 cell lines' mitochondrial membrane potential were investigated by flourometric method. It was concluded that both WEP and EEP decreased mitochondrial membrane potentials on HEp-2 cell series according to control (0 concentration) depending concentration and time.