The role of Indonesian stingless bee Geniotrigona thoracica Propolis extract in ameliorating obesity and modulating inflammation and autophagy process in the brain after palmitic-based high-fat diet exposure

Obesity is a global health problem that can lead to organ damage, particularly affecting brain function. This study aims to investigate the role of Indonesian propolis extract in mitigating neuroinflammation following a prolonged high-fat diet. The experiment used four groups of Wistar rats: Normal chow diet (NCD), Normal chow diet with Propolis (NCP), High-fat diet (HFD), and High-fat diet with Propolis (HFP). The experiment was conducted for 21 weeks of a high-fat diet, with propolis administrated during the last nine weeks. The propolis extract used in the study predominantly contained triterpenoids, including cycloartenol, amyrenone, and mangiferolic acid. The rats were sacrificed with the prefrontal cortex collected at the end of the study. Cortical inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α were analyzed using Multiplex Immunoassay, whereas autophagy proteins LC3 and ATG5 were examined using Western Blot. The mean body weight of the HFP was lower than that of the HFD. The HFP revealed lower IL-1β, TNF-α, and LC3-II levels, but greater ATG5 and IL-6 levels than the HFD. These findings suggest that propolis may help preserve neurological function by reducing inflammation after a long-term high-fat diet through weight reduction and restoration of autophagy function. • A high-fat diet upregulates the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in the brain. • A high-fat diet causes high LC3-II/LC3-I ratio and low ATG5 in the brain. • Indonesian propolis increases the expression of IL-6 in the brain. • Propolis ameliorates neuroinflammation by reducing weight and restoring autophagy.