A Review on Bioactivities of Honey Bee Venom
Md. Nur Kabidul Azam
Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Jessore University of Science and Technology, Jessore-7408, Bangladesh.
Md. Nasir Ahmed
Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka- 1209, Bangladesh.
Samanta Biswas
Medical College for Women and Hospital (MCW&H), Uttara Model Town, Dhaka-1230, Bangladesh.
Nargis Ara
Department of Pharmacy, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Md. Masuder Rahman
Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Santosh, Tangail-1902, Bangladesh.
Akinori Hirashima
Laboratory of Pesticide Chemistry, Division of Molecular Biosciences, Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan.
Md. Nazmul Hasan *
Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Jessore University of Science and Technology, Jessore-7408, Bangladesh.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The Honeybee (Apis mellifera) is one of the world’s most beneficial insects, as it plays a critical role in many terrestrial ecosystems. The use of honeybee products has been documented for thousands of years in many cultures for the treatment of human diseases, and their healing properties have been documented in many religious texts. The present study sets out to compile information on the history, chemical composition and scientific evidence concerning bee venom research. The promising bioactivities have the potential to provide practical directions for further investigation. PubMed database, Google Scholar Library, research articles, books, and relevant web pages have been accessed to accumulate data so that the updated information included in this study is as current as possible. At least 18 pharmacologically active components including various enzymes, peptides, and amines are present in bee venom. Medicinal use of bee venom therapy wields significant in vivo and in vitro outcomes to some extent mitigate the effects of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, HIV, arthritis, liver fibrosis, cancer, tumors, fibrotic diseases, Lyme disease, etc. The effects of bee venom were the first documented in 1888 with the publication of a European clinical study conducted on its impact on rheumatism. According to a study published in the journal, bee venom has been used to treat various conditions for centuries. Such research activities confirm the therapeutic effectiveness of bee venom and as a potential future biomedicine.
Keywords: Bee venom, Apis mellifera, melittin, apamin, apitherapy, venom immunotherapy