Phenolic Compound Profile, Antimicrobial Activity, and Adjuvant Potential of Ethanolic Extracts From Bioproducts of Melipona quinquefasciata (Lepeletier, 1836).

Antimicrobial resistance is a global emergency driven by the selection of multiresistant strains. As a result, research has intensified on products with direct antimicrobial effects or as adjuvants to antibiotics and antifungals. Products from stingless bees of the Melipona genus have shown biological properties, such as antimicrobial activity. This study evaluated the ethanolic extracts of geopropolis (EEGMq), wax (EEWMq), and pollen (EEPMq) from Melipona quinquefasciata ("Uruçu-do-chão") against multiresistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus 10, Escherichia coli 06, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 24, and Candida spp. The extracts were characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection, and antimicrobial activity was assessed through broth microdilution and plate subculture methods. Phenolic compounds identified in EEGMq included p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, naringenin, and apigenin. The extracts did not show significant direct antibacterial activity; however, there was potentiation of the antibiotic action when combined with Norfloxacin, Amikacin, and Penicillin against S. aureus and potentiation of Amikacin and Penicillin against P. aeruginosa. EEGMq also exhibited antifungal activity, significantly reducing Fluconazole activity against C. albicans and C. tropicalis. The results suggest that M. quinquefasciata extracts, especially geopropolis, hold promise for enhancing antibiotics and antifungals and contain bioactive molecules that modulate biological activity.