Unravelling the composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial potential of Himalayan propolis and in vitro evaluation of its cytotoxicity against pancreatic PANC-1 cell lines

The present study aimed to investigate the bioactive constituents, antioxidant and cytotoxic activity as well as the susceptibility of the <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Candida albicans</i> to ethanolic extracts of Himalayan propolis. Phenolic and flavonoid content were quantified using FC reagent and AlCl₃ methods, respectively. Free-radical scavenging activity and bioactive constituents were assessed using the DPPH and LC–MS analysis, respectively. Cytotoxicity was evaluated by using MTT assay for PANC-1 cell lines. TFC and TPC for EEP were 14.246 ± 0.08 (mg/g) QE and 9.455 ± 0.14 (mg/g) GAE respectively. EEP inhibited the growth of microbes and showed effective action establishing a positive correlation between antimicrobial activity and flavonoid content. Propolis-treated PANC-1 cell lines suppressed cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner and exhibited positive potential. Results revealed that the promising pharmacological potential of Himalayan propolis is due to the ­bioactive compounds like pinocembrin and coumarin.