apitoxin
{{Short description|Venom made by bees}}
{{expand German|topic=|otherarticle=|date=January 2018}}
Apitoxin or bee venom is the venom produced by the honey bee. It is a cytotoxic and hemotoxic bitter colorless liquid containing proteins, which may produce local inflammation. It may have similarities to sea nettle toxin.{{cite journal | vauthors = Czarnetzki BM, Thiele T, Rosenbach T | title = Evidence for leukotrienes in animal venoms | journal = The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology | volume = 85 | issue = 2 | pages = 505–509 | date = February 1990 | pmid = 1968071 | doi = 10.1016/0091-6749(90)90162-W | doi-access = free }} {{closed access}}
Components
Bee venom is a complex mixture of proteins and smaller molecules.
The main component is melittin, which amounts to 52% of venom peptides{{cite book |vauthors=Meier J, White J | title = Clinical toxicology of animal venoms and poisons |url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofclinic0000unse_y3l8 |url-access=registration | year = 1995 | publisher = CRC Press, Inc | isbn = 0-8493-4489-1}} One of the main allergens is phospholipase A2, which amounts to 12% and is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of phospholipids, causing degradation of cell membranes.{{cite journal | vauthors = Burzyńska M, Piasecka-Kwiatkowska D | title = A Review of Honeybee Venom Allergens and Allergenicity | journal = International Journal of Molecular Sciences | volume = 22 | issue = 16 | pages = 8371 | date = August 2021 | pmid = 34445077 | pmc = 8395074 | doi = 10.3390/ijms22168371 | doi-access = free }} Adolapin{{cite journal | vauthors = Aufschnaiter A, Kohler V, Khalifa S, Abd El-Wahed A, Du M, El-Seedi H, Büttner S | title = Apitoxin and Its Components against Cancer, Neurodegeneration and Rheumatoid Arthritis: Limitations and Possibilities | journal = Toxins | volume = 12 | issue = 2 | pages = 66 | date = January 2020 | pmid = 31973181 | pmc = 7076873 | doi = 10.3390/toxins12020066 | doi-access = free }} contributes 2–5% of the peptides.{{cite web|url=http://ctdbase.org/detail.go?type=chem&acc=C034201|title=Adolapin|publisher=Comparative Toxicogenomics Database, MDI Biological Laboratory and North Carolina State University|date=24 August 2017|access-date=24 September 2017}}{{cite journal | vauthors = Benton AW, Morse RA, Stewart JD | title = Venom Collection from Honey Bees | journal = Science | volume = 142 | issue = 3589 | pages = 228–230 | date = October 1963 | pmid = 17834840 | doi = 10.1126/science.142.3589.228 | s2cid = 26489746 | bibcode = 1963Sci...142..228B }} Further protein components include apamin (2%), a neurotoxin, hyaluronidase (2%), which dilates blood vessels, increasing their permeability and facilitating the spread of the venom, mast cell degranulating peptide (2%), tertiapin, and secapin.UniProt {{UniProt|P01501}}, {{UniProt|P01500}}, {{UniProt|Q08169}}, {{UniProt|P01499}}, {{UniProt|P56587}}, {{UniProt|P02852}}. Small molecules in bee venom include histamine (0.1–1%), dopamine and noradrenaline.{{cite journal | vauthors = Habermann E | title = Bee and wasp venoms | journal = Science | volume = 177 | issue = 4046 | pages = 314–322 | date = July 1972 | pmid = 4113805 | doi = 10.1126/science.177.4046.314 | bibcode = 1972Sci...177..314H }}
Research
Mark Crislip, a practicing infectious disease specialist, examined the claims that bee venom can treat arthritis. He was unable to "find a clean, i.e., a non-TCPM based, randomized, placebo-controlled study of bee venom in humans for the treatment [of] arthritis."{{cite web |last1=Crislip |first1=Mark |authorlink=Mark Crislip|title=The Beekeeper: Sentinel Chicken? |url=https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-beekeeper-sentinel-chicken/ |website=Science-Based Medicine |access-date=8 August 2023}}
Bee venom is also considered ineffective for the treatment or prevention of cancer, with no clinical studies to date supporting such effects.{{cite book |publisher=American Cancer Society |title=American Cancer Society Complete Guide to Complementary and Alternative Cancer Therapies |pages=704–708 |chapter=Apitherapy |edition=2nd |year=2009 |isbn=9780944235713 |editor1=Russell J |editor2=Rovere A |quote=practitioners claim ... bee venom can be used to treat various diseases, including several types of arthritis; neurological problems such as multiple sclerosis, lower back pain and migraine headaches; and skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and herpes.}} According to the American Cancer Society, there is no scientific evidence that apitherapy or bee venom therapy can treat or change the course of cancer or any other disease.{{cite book | title=American Cancer Society's Guide to complementary and alternative cancer methods | url=https://archive.org/details/americancancerso00amer_2 | url-access=registration | publisher=American Cancer Society | location=Atlanta, Georgia | year=2000 | isbn=978-0-944235-29-4 }}{{page needed|date=September 2016}} Clinical trials have shown that apitherapy is ineffective in treating multiple sclerosis or any other disease, and can exacerbate multiple sclerosis symptoms.{{cite web|title=Bee Venom Therapy – Grassroots Medicine|work=Science-Based Medicine|date=26 November 2008|url=https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/bee-venom-therapy-grassroots-medicine/|access-date=28 September 2016}}
See also
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{MeshName|Apitoxin}}
{{Poisoning and toxicity}}