Bee Venom

Scientific Name(s): Apis mellifera
Common Name(s): Bee venom, Honeybee venom

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Jun 6, 2022.

Clinical Overview

Use

Bee venom is used to hyposensitize individuals highly sensitive to bee stings. There is some evidence that it might also help inhibit or suppress arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

Dosing

There is no recent clinical evidence to guide dosage of bee venom.

Contraindications

Contraindications have not been identified.

Pregnancy/Lactation

Documented adverse reactions. Avoid use.

Interactions

None well documented.

Adverse Reactions

Various adverse reactions may occur to bee venom, the severity of which depends on the number of stings sustained.

Toxicology

A single bee sting can produce anaphylaxis in sensitive individuals. Regardless of history, monitor any patient with multiple stings.

Source

Honeybee venom is obtained from A. mellifera, the common honeybee. Other venoms are derived from related members of the hymenoptera.

History

Anaphylaxis to insect stings is a relatively uncommon problem, affecting approximately 0.4% of the general United States population. It is the cause of an estimated 40 deaths per year in the United States.Reisman 1992

The allergic reactions are mediated by immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies directed at constituents of honeybee, yellow jacket, hornet, and wasp venoms. In order to minimize allergic reactions, hyposensitization immunotherapy techniques have been developed in which small doses of the venom are administered under controlled conditions over a period of months to years. Patients allergic to honeybee venom may be particularly sensitive to hymenoptera venoms in general and have been found to be at a higher risk of developing systemic adverse reactions to venom immunotherapy than patients who are sensitive to yellow jacket venom.Muller 1992

More recently, it has been suggested that honeybee venom may alleviate the symptoms and slow the progression of immune-modulated diseases such as arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

Chemistry

Bee venoms are complex mixtures of enzymes and polysaccharides. They are collected from the insects and diluted to standardized concentrations. Melittin, a phospholipase activating protein in bee venom, has been shown to induce neutrophil degranulationBomalaski 1989 and to increaseBomalaski 1989 or inhibitSomerfield 1986 the formation of superoxide. This variation in activity appears to depend upon the test method employed. Melittin induces neutrophil degranulation with subsequent superoxide formation in vitroBomalaski 1989; however, melittin binds to calmodulin, an effect associated with inhibition of superoxide production.Somerfield 1986

The polypeptide adolapin isolated from bee venom inhibits inflammation (carrageenan, prostaglandin, and adjuvant rat paw edema models) and appears to inhibit the prostaglandin synthase systems.Shkenderov 1982

Uses and Pharmacology

Acne

Clinical data

A Cochrane review of complementary therapies for acne identified 1 randomized trial (n=12) of low quality that showed a statistically significant benefit of purified bee venom for reducing the numbers of skin lesions in acne vulgaris compared to control (P=0.01). Cosmetics were applied with or without the intervention (0.06 mg/mL purified bee venom) for 2 weeks.Cao 2015