Therapeutic effects of bee venom and its major component, melittin, on atopic dermatitis in vivo and in vitro

Abstract

Background and PurposeAtopic dermatitis (AD) is a multifactorial skin condition with complex interactions of innate and adaptive immune responses. There are several existing therapies for AD, including topical glucocorticosteroids, emollients, phototherapies, calcineurin inhibitors and immunosuppressants, such as cyclosporine A. Although these therapies reduce inflammation, they also cause serious side effects. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new therapeutic approaches for AD treatment without side effects. There are several studies on natural materials or toxins, such as herbs, ginseng extract and snake venom, for AD treatment. However, treatment of AD with bee venom and its major component, melittin has rarely been studied.Experimental ApproachEffects of bee venom and melittin were studied in a model of AD in vivo induced by 1‐chloro‐2,4‐dinitrobenzene (DNCB) in female Balb/c mice and in cultures of human keratinocytes, stimulated by TNF‐α/IFN‐γ. The potential pharmacological effects of bee venom and melittin on these in vivo and in vitro AD‐like skin disease models were studied.Key ResultsBee venom and melittin exhibited potent anti‐atopic activities, shown by decreased AD‐like skin lesions, induced by DNCB in mice. In vitro studies using TNF‐α/IFN‐γ‐stimulated human keratinocytes showed that bee venom and melittin inhibited the increased expression of chemokines, such as CCL17 and CCL22, and pro‐inflammatory cytokines, including IL‐1β, IL‐6 and IFN‐γ, through the blockade of the NF‐κB and STAT signalling pathways.Conclusions and ImplicationsOur results suggest that bee venom and melittin would be suitable for epicutaneous application, as topical administration is often appropriate for the treatment of AD.

Therapeutic Effects of Apamin as a Bee Venom Component for Non-Neoplastic Disease

“…Given the anti-inflammatory properties of bee venom, various forms of traditional bee venom treatment, including stings, venom injections, and venom acupuncture, have been used to alleviate pain and to treat chronic inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis [2,4,5]. In addition, our previous studies suggested that bee venom attenuates atherosclerosis atopic dermatitis and periodontitis by the suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines [6][7][8].…”

Melittin—A Natural Peptide from Bee Venom Which Induces Apoptosis in Human Leukaemia Cells

“…In addition, honeybee venom contains many low molecular mass compounds such as sugars, amino acids, phospholipids, pheromones and biogenic amines [2]. Extensive research conducted in recent years has shown that satisfactory results may be achieved when using bee venom for various types of diseases such as arthritis [3], chronic pain [4], cancer [5] and atopic dermatitis [6]. The major component of bee venom is called melittin.…”

Effect of Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture on Inflammation in Mouse Model of Induced Atopic Dermatitis

“…BV treatment has been used to treat various inflammatory diseases. There are several recent studies about the biological and pharmacological activities of BV, proposing that BV inhibits the increase of inflammatory and pro-inflammatory cytokines from the human keratinocytes [6][7][8]. This study investigated whether BV treatment had anti-inflammatory effects on AD using LPSactivated murine keratinocytes and PA-treated mice.…”

“…BV is composed of many peptides, including melittin, apamin, adolapin and mast cell degranulating peptide. Among them, melittin is the key component which accounts for 50% of dry weight of BV and it has been investigated to determine its biological and pharmacological activities [6]. A recent review of treatment with BV reported antiinflammatory, anti-apoptotic, antibacterial, and anticancer effects [7].…”