Natural Bioactive Compounds in Sepsis: A Systematic Review of the Effects of Propolis and Curcumin on Inflammatory Cytokines

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-836-8_11How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Curcumin; Cytokines; Inflammation; Propolis; Sepsis

Abstract

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused by a dysregulated host re-sponse to infection, in which excessive production of inflammatory cytokines drives tissue injury and multiple organ dysfunction. Natural bioactive compounds such as propolis and curcumin have attracted attention for their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties. This systematic review followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines; the protocol was defined a priori but was not eligible for prospective registration in PROSPERO, which accepts only reviews reporting direct human health outcomes. PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Wiley Online Library, Taylor & Francis Online and Google Scholar were searched for studies published between 2020 and 2026 that evaluated propolis, curcumin or their combination on inflammatory cytokines. Risk of bias was appraised independently by two reviewers using SYRCLE’s tool for animal experiments, Cochrane RoB 2 for randomised trials and modified OHAT criteria for in vitro work. Of 218 records identified, 18 studies met the eligibility criteria and were synthesised qualitatively. Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were the most frequently evaluated cytokines. Both compounds consistently reduced TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β, whereas several studies reported enhancement or preservation of IL-10, through inhibition of NF-κB, TLR4 and MAPK signalling and suppression of oxidative stress. Most appraised components were at unclear risk of bias, only one study used a sepsis model, no trial has been conducted in septic patients and no study tested formally for synergy. The findings are therefore hypothesis-generating: propolis and curcumin plausibly regulate key cytokines of the inflammatory response, but their clinical value in sepsis remains un proven and requires adequately powered trials.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Anna Millizia
AU  - Rosnani Nasution
AU  - Binawati Ginting
AU  - Bastian Lubis
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/11
TI  - Natural Bioactive Compounds in Sepsis: A Systematic Review of the Effects of Propolis and Curcumin on Inflammatory Cytokines
BT  - Proceedings of the3rd Malikussaleh International Conference on Health and Disaster Medicine 2026  (MICOHEDMED 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 105
EP  - 119
SN  - 2468-5739
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-836-8_11
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-836-8_11
ID  - Millizia2026
ER  -