Bee Venom Component May Aid Antitumor Action

Reports from Austria, France and Germany Describe Recent Advances in Cancer Treatment Research
Oncology Business Week, 11/12/2006

Study 1: The cooperation of bee venom secretory phospholipase A2 and phosphatidylinositol-(3,4)-bisphosphate exerts antitumor action and immune activation.

According to researchers in Austria, "We evaluated tumor cell growth modulation by bee venom secretory phospholipase A2 (bv-sPLA2) and phosphatidylinositol-(3,4)-bisphosphate as well as potential cooperative effects. In addition, the immunomodulatory impact of tumor cell treatment was examined by monitoring changes in phenotype and function of monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) co-cultured with pretreated tumor cells."

"Bv-sPLA2 or phosphatidylinositol-(3,4)-bisphosphate alone displayed moderate effects on the proliferation of A498 renal cell carcinoma cells, T-47D breast cancer cells, DU145 prostate cancer cells and BEAS-2B transformed lung cells," said Thomas Putz and colleagues at the University of Innsbruck. "However, when bv-sPLA2 was co-administered with phosphatidylinositol-(3,4)-bisphosphate a potent inhibition of [H] thymidine incorporation into all tested cell lines occurred."...

Putz and his coauthors published their study in Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy (Antitumor action and immune activation through cooperation of bee venom secretory phospholipase A2 and phosphatidylinositol-(3,4)-bisphosphate. Cancer Immunol Immunother, 2006;55(11):1374-1383).

For additional information, contact Martin Thurnher, Department of Urology, University of Innsbruck, Anichstrasse 35, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria. martin.thurnher@uibk.ac.at.