Can Bee Venom Be Used as Anticancer Agent in Modern Medicine?

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The beneficial effects of natural substances that have been used in medicine for many years require both scientific confirmation and recognition of the mechanism of their action. In this paper, we present the current state of knowledge regarding the mechanisms of anticancer activity of bee venom in in vitro and animal model studies. So far, research shows strong anti-cancer potential of both crude bee venom and its main constituent, melittin, by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting the cell cycle without significantly affecting physiological cells. Increasingly frequent animal studies indicate the safety of venom doses that are effective in in vitro studies. This information can help plan future clinical trials. ABSTRACT: Honey bee venom in its composition contains many biologically active peptides and enzymes that are effective in the fight against diseases of various etiologies. The history of the use of bee venom for medicinal purposes dates back thousands of years. There are many reports in the literature on the pharmacological properties of bee venom and/or its main components, e.g., anti-arthritic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial or neuroprotective properties. In addition, both crude venom and melittin exhibit cytotoxic activity against a wide range of tumor cells, with significant anti-metastatic activity in pre-clinical studies. Due to the constantly increasing incidence of cancer, the development of new therapeutic strategies in oncology is a particular challenge for modern medicine. A review paper discusses the various properties of bee venom with an emphasis on its anticancer properties. For this purpose, the PubMed database was searched, and publications related to “bee”, “venom”, “cancer” from the last 10 years were selected.