Honey bees are eusocial arthropods known for their critical role in pollination and honey production. Bees live in dynamic colonies with a highly organized social structure, including a queen, workers, and drones. 

Bee venom is notoriously known for causing the itching and burning sensation after a bee sting. However, bee venom has potential in medical applications, from treating inflammation to central nervous system diseases. The venom is produced by the venom glands of female worker bees and serves as a defense mechanism. The composition includes bioactive proteins, sugars, and enzymes. These components make bee venom useful for apitherapy treatment.

Apitherapy is the use of honey bee products to treat human diseases and conditions. Common honey bee products used in apitherapy include honey, beeswax, royal jelly, larvae, and venom. According to the American Apitherapy Society, the practice dates back 6,000 years to Ancient Egypt, China, and Greece. Melittin is the main anti-inflammatory component of the venom, making it valuable in the following applications: 

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease where the cartilage that cushions the ends of bones in joints deteriorates, causing inflammation.

Current Treatments 

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

• Physical Therapy 

• Cortisone injections 

Apitherapy Treatment 

• Direct bee stings

• Bee Venom Acupuncture

• Royal Jelly (raw or capsules): Contains proteins and lipids that promote cartilage health and regeneration to reduce symptoms. 

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition where blood clots form in at least one of the deep veins in the body. This is a life-threatening condition as it could lead to pulmonary embolism (PE), a blood clot in the lungs. 

Current Treatments

• Blood thinners

• Thrombolytics (clot busters)

• Compression stockings

• Exercise

Apitherapy Treatment

• Phospholipase A2 (PLA2): It is an enzyme found in honey bee venom that has been incorporated into new anti-clot formation drugs due to its anti-coagulant activities. PLA2 is known to prolong clotting time as well as platelet aggregation.

Honey bee venom exhibits potent anti-cancer properties through several mechanisms utilizing melittin.

Membrane Interruption

1. • Melittin binds to the negatively charged membranes of cancer cells, forming pores that lead to cell lysis. This selective mechanism spares healthy cells, which have neutrally charged membranes.

Apoptosis Induction

2. • It triggers programmed cell death by activating caspase pathways and generating reactive oxygen species. This course of action targets tumor growth and enhances the efficacy of other therapies.

Inhibition of Tumor Progression

3. • Melittin modulates pathways like NF-KB and PI3K/AKT, which are critical for cancer proliferation and metastasis.

Melittin also demonstrates antimicrobial activity, addressing growing concerns about drug-resistant pathogens.

Membrane Disruption

1. • Melittin disrupts the lipid bilayers of bacterial and fungal cells, causing ion imbalance and cell death. This broad-spectrum activity is effective against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi.

Anti-Biofilm Activity

1. • It prevents biofilm formation, a challenge in treating persistent infections like those caused by Staphylococcus aureus or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Biofilm formation is a process where microorganisms adhere to a surface, aggregate, and produce a matrix that provides structural stability and protection.

Anti-Viral Potential

3. • It shows activity against enveloped viruses, including herpes simplex virus (HSV), by disrupting viral envelopes and inhibiting replication.