Abstract
Apitherapy is an alternate therapy that relies on the usage of honeybee products, most importantly bee venom for the treatment of many human diseases. The venom can be introduced into the human body by manual injection or by direct bee stings. Bee venom contains several active molecules such as peptides and enzymes that have advantageous potential in treating inflammation and central nervous system diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Moreover, bee venom has shown promising benefits against different types of cancer as well as anti-viral activity, even against the challenging human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Many studies described biological activities of bee venom components and launched preclinical trials to improve the potential use of apitoxin and its constituents as the next generation of drugs. The aim of this review is to summarize the main compounds of bee venom, their primary biological properties, mechanisms of action, and their therapeutic values in alternative therapy strategies.
Highlights
Apitherapy is a branch of alternative medicine that relies on the usage of honeybee products that consists of honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, and mainly bee venom (BV), which is known as apitoxin [5,6]
BV possesses a neuroprotective potential in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), AD, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by significantly blocking their progression and improving cognitive functioning in mice models
In terms of antitumor activity, both melittin and BV have a cytotoxic effect on cancer cells and a significant anti-metastatic activity
Summary
Apis mellifera (Figure 1) is the main species used for crop pollination in the world [1]. Bee venom therapy medicinal application ofofBV honeybees into the for the treatment of some diseases, suchsuch as rheumatism arthritis [7]. Bee venom is characterized by inducing allergic reactions following the sting. Cantake takeplace placeininthe theskin, skin,the therespiratory respiratorytrack, track,the thecardiovascular cardiovascularsystem, system,and andthe thegastrointestinal gastrointestinal can These allergic responses are due to the presence, within the venom, of multiple protein allergens, most system. IgE-independentreactions, reactions,such suchas asaa mechanisms, be induced by melittin, known as a PLA2 activator that can mimic. The production ofofthis non-immune mediator can be induced by melittin, known as a PLA2 activator that can mimic. The following parts of the review aim to highlight the primary biological properties of BV and its bioactive molecules that have potential in developing therapeutic strategies
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