This insect may help treat COVID-19 and other inflammatory conditions
Key Takeaways
Apitherapy refers to the use of bee venom or other bee products to treat disease—something that’s been in practice for millennia.
Melittin (MEL) is the major bioactive component of bee venom and exhibits anticancer effects.
Bee venom has effectively been used to treat certain skin and inflammatory disorders, and may help protect individuals against COVID-19.
For millennia, be venom has been used to treat inflammatory conditions, rheumatism, skin diseases, and malaria. Hippocrates used bee venom to treat baldness, and Ivan the Terrible used it to cure gout in the 15th century.
In 1868, Russian authors published the first paper on apitherapy, or the use of bee venom or other bee products to prevent or treat disease.[] It was described as being rich in bioactive compounds that demonstrated analgesic, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antioxidant, antiviral, antifungal, anticancer, and antiatherosclerotic effects.
Bee venom composition
A more recent discussion of bee venom, published in Toxins (Basel) in 2024, provides additional insights into its properties and therapeutic uses.[] Water makes up 88% of bee venom. Dry parts include the peptides melittin (MEL), mast cell degranulating (MCD) peptide, apamin, secapin, procamine A and B, adolapin, and tertiapin. The chief enzymes are phospholipase A2 (PLA2), as well as phospholipase B (PLB), hyaluronidase, acid phosphomonoesterases, lysophospholipase, and α-glucosidase.
Physiologically active amines and neurotransmitters (eg, histamine, dopamine, and noradrenalin) are also found in bee venom. Other components include glucose and fructose, phospholipids, amino acids, and minerals.
The composition of bee venom depends on factors such as time of year collected and the region it was harvested from. It is collected from bees using a device composed of glass panels and wires that emit a low-voltage current. This device is placed at the entrance of the beehive. Bees, which are irritated by the electric field, secrete their venom onto a glass slide, from which it is later collected for analysis.
Uses in cancer treatment
Bee venom and MEL, which is the major component, have strong toxic effects on liver, bladder, lung, breast, prostate, and leukemia cells. Possible mechanisms of action include the effect on proliferation and growth inhibition and cell cycle alterations.
Bee venom could also kill cells via several cancer cell death mechanisms, which are linked to the activation of caspases, PLA2, and matrix metalloproteinases. Bee venom exerts a less potent effect on non-target cells.
Currently, the conjugation of MEL with hormone receptors and gene therapy with MEL are areas of therapeutic interest. Researchers have observed that the recombinant virus carrying the MEL gene had an inhibitory effect towards carcinoma in vitro and in vivo.
COVID-19 and other uses
Bee venom may also protect against COVID-19. In real-life cases, MEL has protected beekeepers and apitherapists from manifesting symptoms of COVID-19.[]
The application of topical bee venom, which smells like honey, is skin-safe and might help with acne, topical dermatitis, vitiligo, alopecia, and wound treatment. It may also have anti-aging affects.[]
Some recent research on apitherapy includes the following:
Both MEL and phospholipase A2 induce T-cell–mediated immune response by engaging dendritic cells for antigen processing and presentation.
Nasal formulations containing nano-formulations loaded with MEL may someday help restrict SARS-CoV-2 to the nasal passages.
Bee venom-derived antiviral vaccines may be on the horizon.
PLA2 could replace aluminum hydroxide as an adjuvant used in immune therapy in COVID-19.
Routes of application
In addition to topical applications, bee venom can be directly introduced into the bloodstream. In bee therapy, honeybees deploy their stingers directly onto target points. In apitherapy, the lyophilized venom is injected directly into the skin at varying doses.[]
What this means for you
Apitherapy is emerging as a natural way to prevent and fight disease. This therapeutic strategy may be useful in patients with inflammatory or skin conditions. Among individuals who work with bees, bee venom has provided natural protection from COVID-19.