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Methods and Data

Results and Discussion

Introduction

  • In-depth literature review of current published research
  • Articles located with databases: Academic Search Complete and SciFinder Scholar
  • Keywords: “bee venom”, “bee venom therapy”, and “bee venom acupuncture”
  • Articles chosen if they were in English and had University access to a full article
  • Chosen if the article discussed: bee venom makeup, bee venom medicinal uses, bee venom treatment efficacy, bee venom and interactions with the human immune system

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  • The mechanism of bee venom in the human body is still unclear, but the current literature strongly suggests that the different components making up bee venom play a significant part, as well as how bee venom causes the immune system to respond.
  • For example, melittin is responsible for the majority of allergic reactions to bee venom and it was also found that bee venom induces the T-helper type 2 (TH2) response of the immune system, likely in response to cell death caused by melittin.7
  • More research is still needed to determine the exact mechanisms behind the success of bee venom when used in medicinal treatments.
  • More large-scale clinical trials using bee venom are needed in order to confirm statistical significance and occurrence of adverse effects to fully determine the efficacy and safety of using bee venom.
  • Overall, the results of this literature review highlight the idea that BVT and BVA can be an effective treatment for a variety of different conditions, ranging from lyme disease to cancer.
  • Bee venom is thought to inhibit the onset or progression of dysfunction in the central nervous system, hence its suggested use as a treatment for Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis, among others which affect the central nervous system.

References

[1] Alvarez-Fischer, Daniel, et al. “Bee Venom and Its Component Apamin as Neuroprotective Agents in a Parkinson Disease Mouse Model.” PLoS ONE, vol. 8, no. 4, 2013, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0061700.

[2] Haghi, Ghasem, et al. “Qualitative and Quantitative Evaluation of Melittin in Honeybee Venom and Drug Products Containing Honeybee Venom.” Journal of Apicultural Science, vol. 57, no. 2, 2013, pp. 37–44., doi:10.2478/jas-2013-0015.

[3] Jang, Soobin, and Kyeong Han Kim. “Clinical Effectiveness and Adverse Events of Bee Venom Therapy: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.” Toxins, vol. 12, no. 9, 2020, p. 558., doi:10.3390/toxins12090558.

[5] Kim, Yong-Wan, et al. “Honeybee Venom Possesses Anticancer and Antiviral Effects by Differential Inhibition of HPV E6 and E7 Expression on Cervical Cancer Cell Line.” Oncology Reports, vol. 33, no. 4, 2015, pp. 1675–1682., doi:10.3892/or.2015.3760.

[4] Marichal, Thomas, et al. “A Beneficial Role for Immunoglobulin E in Host Defense against Honeybee Venom.” Immunity, vol. 39, no. 5, 2013, pp. 963–975., doi:10.1016/j.immuni.2013.10.005.

[5] “My Experience with Bee Venom Therapy - by Rebecca Hayward.” Lyme Disease UK, 23 Mar. 2017, lymediseaseuk.com/2017/04/02/bee-venom-therapy-rebecca-hayward/.

[6] Palm, Noah W., et al. “Bee Venom Phospholipase A2 Induces a Primary Type 2 Response That Is Dependent on the Receptor ST2 and Confers Protective Immunity.” Immunity, vol. 39, no. 5, 2013, pp. 976–985., doi:10.1016/j.immuni.2013.10.006.

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Conclusion

Interactions Between Bee Venom Therapy and the Human Body

Angelina Anderson

  • Bee venom is used outside of Western medicine in acupuncture and creams, where bee venom is mixed into a cream or acupuncture needles are dipped into bee venom (BVA).
  • Bee venom is known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial benefits
  • Honeybees’ venom allows them to have a wider range despite their size and bee venom accounts for the majority of venom allergies in humans.5
  • Bee venom is made up of peptides, enzymes, histamine, sinkaline, noradrenaline, and amino acids.
    • This review focuses on peptides (melittin, apamin, promelittin), mast cell deregulating peptides (MCDP), and enzymes (phospholipase A2 and hyaluronidase).2
    • Apamin has been reported to protect dopamine neurons and is known to cross the blood-brain barrier when injected peripherally.1
  • Bee venom can also induce apoptosis, suggesting it as a potential treatment for cancer, as well as down regulating levels of anti-apoptotic genes and upregulating levels of Bax, a pro-apoptotic gene.4
  • Melittin, one of the main components of bee venom, is known to have anti-inflammatory effects lending it to an effective treatment of joint pain and other inflammatory conditions.3 It is also important to note that the adverse effects reported were mainly minor and skin related at the site of injection, such as pruritus, rash, and swelling.3
  • While the mechanism(s) behind these treatments is still largely unknown, these studies suggest that the components of bee venom are largely responsible, especially melittin which accounts for 40-60% of bee venom.
  • The results of these studies are significant because they start to uncover the mechanism(s) behind the effectiveness of BVT and BVA, but also because they show that these treatments are having positive effects on patients in clinical trials.
  • While there were adverse effects, the large majority were minor and almost exclusively skin related in nature, suggesting that BVT and BVA are not only an effective treatment option, but also low risk for those without bee venom allergies.

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