Bees would fight cancer

BARCELONA (EFE).— An international study has shown that bee venom, apitoxin, alters the functioning of blood vessels, that is, the body's vascular system, which can be harmful in some cases, but therapeutic in others.

The research, published in “Toxicological Sciences” by the American Society of Toxicology, explains that apitoxin, even in small doses, causes blood vessels to dilate less.

However, the venom would have medical applications in diseases in which the veins and arteries do not function well.

Apitoxin is a mixture of bioactive molecules with melittin as its main component. Its therapeutic potential is increasingly recognized in some conditions, but its application is limited by safety concerns.

Beyond anaphylactic shock and kidney failure, bee stings (Apis mellifera L.) have been associated with cardiovascular damage.

In the new study, led by the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the impact of apitoxin and melittin on human endothelial cells, which line the inner walls of blood and lymphatic vessels, and smooth muscle cells, as well as on the aorta in mice, was analyzed.

The findings reveal that both compounds impact cell viability and endothelial relaxation capacity, leading to reduced blood vessel dilation.

According to the research coordinator, Francesc Jiménez Altayó, "the vascular alterations occurred with doses of apitoxin that can be reached after multiple bee stings, but in vulnerable individuals they could occur even with a few stings."

The study shows that melittin accounts for almost half of bee venom—43.8%—but, despite being the component most closely associated with toxic effects, it does not act exactly like the venom, indicating that other substances in apitoxin also contribute.

The team found that the negative effects of bee venom are due to an increase in oxidative stress and changes in nitric oxide, a molecule that regulates blood vessel dilation. This underscores the dual role of apitoxin in the vascular system: as a toxic substance and as a therapeutic agent.

In this sense, it is suggested that it may help regulate nitric oxide, which controls how blood vessels open and close in some tumors, a factor that may influence their growth and response to treatments.

At a glance

Many bites

Vascular changes occurred with doses of apitoxin that are reached after multiple bee stings, but in vulnerable individuals they could appear even with few stings.

Leader

The research team was led by Francesc Jiménez Altayó, from the Autonomous University of Barcelona.