Honeybee Venom Kills Breast Cancer Cells
Australian researchers have found that honeybee venom kills aggressive breast cancer cells. And it has the added benefit of not damaging healthy cells. (1, 2)
Researchers published the study in the international, peer-reviewed journal npj Precision Oncology on September 1, 2020. Dr. Ciara Duffy from the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research and The University of Western Australia led the research team. (1, 2)
The team used venom from 312 honeybees and bumblebees hailing from England, Ireland, and Perth Western Australia. They tested them on different clinical subtypes of breast cancer, including triple-negative breast cancer, which is more challenging to treat than other types. (1, 2, 3)
The scientists learned that, while bumblebee venom had little effect on the cancer cells, the honeybee venom from all locations killed the cancerous cells. The difference between the two types of venom is that honeybee venom contains a peptide called melittin. Melittin makes up half of honeybee venom by weight. It’s the component that makes honeybee venom so effective at destroying cancer cells. (1, 2)
“We tested a very small, positively charged peptide in honeybee venom called melittin, which we could reproduce synthetically, and found that the synthetic product mirrored the majority of the anti-cancer effects of honeybee venom,” Dr. Duffy said in an interview with the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research. “We found both honeybee venom and melittin significantly, selectively and rapidly reduced the viability of triple-negative breast cancer and HER2-enriched breast cancer cells.” (1)
Melittin
At a specific concentration, melittin can kill off cancerous cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed. “The venom was extremely potent,” Dr. Duffy said.“We found that melittin can completely destroy cancer cell membranes within 60 minutes.” (1, 2)
Another amazing effect of melittin is its ability to reduce the chemical messages of cancer cells within 20 minutes. These messages are crucial to cancer’s growth, so stopping them is important to keep cancer from spreading. (1, 2)
Western Australia’s Chief Scientist Professor Peter Klinken told the Perkins Institute, “This is an incredibly exciting observation that melittin, a major component of honeybee venom, can suppress the growth of deadly breast cancer cells, particularly triple-negative breast cancer.” (1)
He continued, “Significantly, this study demonstrates how melittin interferes with signaling pathways within breast cancer cells to reduce cell replication. It provides another wonderful example of where compounds in nature can be used to treat human diseases.” (1)
Dr. Duffy’s team also found that melittin could be used effectively with chemotherapy. Melittin creates pores in breast cancer cell membranes, which allows other treatments to enter the cells and kill them off. (1, 2)
We found that melittin can be used with small molecules or chemotherapies, such as docetaxel, to treat highly-aggressive types of breast cancer. The combination of melittin and docetaxel was extremely efficient in reducing tumor growth in mice,” Dr. Duffy said. (1)
Future Research on the Effects of Melittin on Breast Cancer
Duffy’s team plans to continue their studies of melittin by learning about its effects on other types of cancer, including lung, gastric, ovarian, endometrial, bladder, lung, colon, and head, and neck cancers. They will also explore the best delivery method of melittin, as well as toxicities and maximum tolerated doses. The research team believes that melittin could provide an easily accessible and cost-effective cancer treatment in areas that are remote or less developed. (2)
