How does melittin cause pain?

In both humans and rats, melittin has been demonstrated to be the unique pain-producing substance of honeybee venom. It activates primary nociceptor cells directly and indirectly due to its ability to activate plasma membrane PLA2 and its pore-forming activity.

What is bee sting therapy used for?

Bee venom therapy (BVT) has been used since ancient Greece to help relieve pain from rheumatoid arthritis. This is due to its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects. Research has found that BVT can lead to a decrease in swelling, pain, and stiffness in people with rheumatoid arthritis.

How is melittin used in the treatment of cancer?

Bee venom and its individual constituent Melittin has demonstrated efficacy in variety of preclinical models of human cancers. Melittin (MEL), a major peptide component of bee venom, is an attractive candidate for cancer therapy. This agent has shown a variety of anti-cancer effects in preclinical cell culture and animal model systems.

How is melittin a potential therapeutic agent for DM?

These studies also reported that melittin has significant lipid regulating activities by activating phospholipase A 2. Thus, melittin could be a potential therapeutic agent against DM. A number of reviews are available in the literature, which focused on the miscellaneous pharmacological effects of BV proteins [ 17, 29

Are there any new drug applications for melittin?

There are thousands of publications (PubMed, Springer, ResearchGate, etc.) and patents [1], [2] devoted to melittin prospect applications and its isolation methods. However, to date none of these have achieved new drug approval [3]. One main drawback to marketing melittin is its high cost.

What are the biological effects of melittin peptide?

Melittin is a peptide consisting of 26 amino acids with the sequence GIGAVLKVLTTGLPALISWIKRKRQQ. It has several important biological effects and has a relatively low toxicity. Recent studies using animal models have confirmed that melittin has significant glucose and lipid lowering activities by acting on several mechanistic pathways.