Principal Investigators

Krystyna Frenkel, PhD., Department of Environmental Medicine, NYU School of Medicine
Dezider Grunberger, PhD., Columbia University

Propolis, a honeybee hive product, is a folk medicine that has been used for centuries in the treatment of various ailments. Several important pharmaceutical properties have been ascribed to propolis, including anti-inflammatory, antiviral, immunostimulatory and antitumor activities. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) has been identified as a main active ingredient of propolis.

Description of Project

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can contribute to mutagenesis and carcinogenesis, and particularly to tumor promotion. ROS induce strand breaks in DNA and oxidative modifications of DNA bases. They have been implicated in the etiology of many human diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and various forms of cancer. Both in vitro and animal model studies have provided strong evidence suggesting that CAPE may be an effective agent in the prevention, and perhaps treatment, of some of these diseases. CAPE is toxic to various transformed and tumor cells but not to normal cells. Part of this effect may be related to its ability to induce apoptosis. CAPE has been shown to inhibit 12-O-tetradecanoyl-13-phorbol acetate (TPA)-induced tumor promotion in mouse epidermis. It also suppresses neutrophil infiltration to mouse skin, oxidant formation (measured as H2O2), as well as the formation of oxidized bases. In addition, this compound has been shown to inhibit the formation and progression of cataracts.

Applications

CAPE could be effective in the prevention of 1) inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and psoriasis, 2) various cancers and diseases comprising tumor formation, 3) cataracts, and 4) other diseases that result from oxidative stress. Furthermore, CAPE can be used to treat an HIV infection when combined in a pharmaceutical composition with a substance that inhibits HIV replication.

Patent Status

NYU and Columbia University have been awarded U.S. patent 6,313,165, along with a PCT filing.

For further Information please contact

New York University
Industrial Liaison/Technology Transfer
650 First Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 263-8178 Fax: (212) 263-8189