Abstract
Bee venom (BV) is a rich source of secondary metabolites from honeybees (Apis mellifera L.). It contains a variety of bioactive ingredients including peptides, proteins, enzymes, and volatile metabolites. The compounds contribute to the venom’s observed biological functions as per its anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects. The antimicrobial action of BV has been shown in vitro and in vivo experiments against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The synergistic therapeutic interactions of BV with antibiotics has been reported. The synergistic effect contributes to a decrease in the loading and maintenance dosage, a decrease in the side effects of chemotherapy, and a decrease in drug resistance. To our knowledge, there have been no reviews on the impact of BV and its antimicrobial constituents thus far. The purpose of this review is to address the antimicrobial properties of BV and its compounds.
Highlights
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the antimicrobial drug resistance of bacterial pathogens has reached alarming rates in several parts of the world, and few alternatives are available [1].Toxins 2020, 12, 451; doi:10.3390/toxins12070451 www.mdpi.com/journal/toxinsThe discovery of antibiotics served as a promise to eliminate numerous ailments that menaced human life in the past
In an in vivo study, melittin was examined against lethal doses of the pathogenic H1N1 virus in mice; the results show that melittin can inhibit the replication of the virus, as the Log10 50% tissue culture infectious dose of a virus (TCID50 ) was 1.53 ± 0.25, compared to phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at Log10 TCID50 4.22 ± 0.2 [76]
With the emergence of drug resistance; researchers are looking for new sources of bioactive candidates
Summary
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the antimicrobial drug resistance of bacterial pathogens has reached alarming rates in several parts of the world, and few alternatives are available [1]. Natural products including bee venom (BV), one of many bee products which is rich in bioactive compounds, offer a diversity of activities against variety of diseases causes [3,4,5,6] Venoms and their peptides from different animals or organisms such as bees, snakes, wasps, and scorpions, represent promising antimicrobial agents against various microbial pathogenesis [7,8,9,10,11,12]. We discuss the in vitro, in vivo, and in situ therapeutic implications of BV against microbial diseases
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