Apitoxin

Apitoxin or bee venom is the venom produced by the honey bee. It is a Cytotoxicity, cytotoxic and Hemotoxin, hemotoxic bitter colorless liquid containing proteins, which may produce local inflammation. It may have similarities to sea nettle toxin.

Components

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

The main component is melittin, which amounts to 52% of venom peptides One of the main allergens is Phospholipase A2, phospholipase A₂, which amounts to 12% and is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of phospholipids, causing degradation of cell membranes. Adolapin contributes 2–5% of the peptides. Further protein components include apamin (2%), a neurotoxin, hyaluronidase (2%), which dilates blood vessels, increasing their permeability and facilitating the spread of the venom, MCD peptide, mast cell degranulating peptide (2%), tertiapin, and secapin. Small molecules in bee venom include histamine (0.1–1%), dopamine and noradrenaline.

Research

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

See also

* Apitherapy
* Bee sting
* Beekeeping
* Hive management
* Honeybee
* Wasp venoms

References

External links

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{{Poisoning and toxicity

Bee products
Beekeeping
Insect toxins