Apitoxin or bee venom is the

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...

produced by the

honey bee A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current cosm ...

. It is a cytotoxic and

hemotoxic Hemotoxins, haemotoxins or hematotoxins are toxins that destroy red blood cells, disrupt blood clotting, and/or cause organ degeneration and generalized tissue damage. The term ''hemotoxin'' is to some degree a misnomer since toxins that damage t ...

bitter colorless liquid containing

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...

s, which may produce local

inflammation Inflammation (from la, inflammatio) is part of the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants, and is a protective response involving immune cells, blood vessels, and molec ...

. It may have similarities to

sea nettle ''Chrysaora'' () is a genus of jellyfish, commonly called the sea nettles, in the family Pelagiidae. The origin of the genus name ''Chrysaora'' lies in Greek mythology with Chrysaor, brother of Pegasus and son of Poseidon and Medusa. Translate ...

toxin A toxin is a naturally occurring organic poison produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms. Toxins occur especially as a protein or conjugated protein. The term toxin was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849 ...

Components

Bee venom is a complex mixture of proteins and smaller molecules. The main component is

melittin Melittin is the main component (40–60% of the dry weight) and the major pain producing substance of honeybee (''Apis mellifera'') venom. Melittin is a basic peptide consisting of 26 amino acids. Function The principal function of melittin a ...

, which amounts to 52% of venom peptides One of the main allergens is phospholipase A₂, which amounts to 12% and is an enzyme that catalyzes the

hydrolysis Hydrolysis (; ) is any chemical reaction in which a molecule of water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used broadly for substitution, elimination, and solvation reactions in which water is the nucleophile. Biological hydrolys ...

phospholipids Phospholipids, are a class of lipids whose molecule has a hydrophilic "head" containing a phosphate group and two hydrophobic "tails" derived from fatty acids, joined by an alcohol residue (usually a glycerol molecule). Marine phospholipids t ...

, causing degradation of cell membranes. Adolapin contributes 2–5% of the peptides. Further protein components include

apamin Apamin is an 18 amino acid globular peptide neurotoxin found in apitoxin (bee venom). Dry bee venom consists of 2–3% of apamin. Apamin selectively blocks SK channels, a type of Ca2+-activated K+ channel expressed in the central nervous system. ...

(2%), a neurotoxin,

hyaluronidase Hyaluronidases are a family of enzymes that catalyse the degradation of hyaluronic acid (HA). Karl Meyer classified these enzymes in 1971, into three distinct groups, a scheme based on the enzyme reaction products. The three main types of hyal ...

(2%), which dilates blood vessels, increasing their permeability and facilitating the spread of the venom, mast cell degranulating peptide (2%),

tertiapin Tertiapin is a 21-amino acid peptide isolated from venom of the European honey bee (''Apis mellifera''). It blocks two different types of potassium channels, inward rectifier potassium channels (Kir) and calcium activated large conductance potassi ...

, and secapin. Small molecules in bee venom include

histamine Histamine is an organic nitrogenous compound involved in local immune responses, as well as regulating physiological functions in the gut and acting as a neurotransmitter for the brain, spinal cord, and uterus. Since histamine was discovered ...

(0.1–1%), dopamine and

noradrenaline Norepinephrine (NE), also called noradrenaline (NA) or noradrenalin, is an organic chemical in the catecholamine family that functions in the brain and body as both a hormone and neurotransmitter. The name "noradrenaline" (from Latin '' ad'', ...

Research

Apitoxins are under preliminary research for their potential biological effects, such as in

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

References

External links

* {{Poisoning and toxicity Bee products Beekeeping Insect toxins

Components

Research

See also

References

External links