Irritation Potential of Bee Venom on Skin, Eyes is Negligible

Dermal and Ocular Irritation Studies of Honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) Venom

Am J Chin Med, 2012;40(4):795-800

The aim of this study was to access the irritant properties of bee venom (BV) after its application to skin and eye mucous membranes of the rabbit.

The animals were also observed for clinical signs and mortality after the application of the test material. Six animals were used for the skin irritation test and nine rabbits for the eye irritation test. The acute BV application to the rabbit skin revealed no appreciable clinical signs throughout the observation period of 72 h and there was no mortality seen. In the eye irritation test, eye reactions were read and graded 24, 48, 72, 96 and 168 h after BV treatment. No changes in the cornea, iris or conjunctivae were observed at all time points of observations.

Based on the present findings, it can be concluded that the irritation potential of BV is negligible.

Bee Venom Suitable as Cosmetic Ingredient

Skin Sensitization Study of Bee Venom (Apis mellifera L.) in Guinea Pigs and Rats

Cutan Ocul Toxicol, 2012 Jul 20

Background: Bee venom (Apis mellifera L., BV) possessing a rich source of pharmacologically active substances has the potential to be used as a cosmetic ingredient for antiaging, antiinflammatory and antibacterial functions. The aim of this study was to assess the skin sensitization of BV on experimental animals using the Buehler test.

Materials and methods: Guinea pigs were randomly allocated into three groups of BV-sensitization, positive control-sensitization, and ethyl alcohol-sensitization group for induction and challenge. On the other hand, two groups of rats were administered with BV at doses of 0 and 1500 mg/kg. Clinical signs, mortality and body weight changes were continually monitored during the study period.

Results: No treatment-related clinical signs or body weight changes were observed in both animal models. The average skin reaction evaluated by erythema and edema on the challenge sites, and sensitization rate in the BV-sensitization group of guinea pigs were substantially low compared with those in positive control group, representing a negligible sensitizing potential of BV.

Conclusion: It was concluded that BV was well tolerated and exhibited no dermal irritation potential in guinea pigs and rats. Our findings may provide a developmental basis of BV for a cosmetic ingredient or external application for topical uses.

Organic Bee Pollen: Botanical Origin, Nutritional Value, Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidant Activity and Microbiological Quality

Molecules, 2012 Jul 11;17(7):8359-77

Nine botanical families were found in the mixture of the samples. The water activity and pH ranged 0.21–0.37 and 4.3–5.2, respectively. The BP analyses averaged 67.7% carbohydrates, 21.8% crude protein, 5.2% crude fat and 2.9% ash. The energy ranged from 396.4 to 411.1 kcal/100 g. The principal fatty acid found was linolenic, followed by linoleic acid, palmitic acid and oleic acid. The phenolic and flavonoid contents varied from 12.9 to 19.8 mg of gallic acid equivalents/g of extract and from 4.5 to 7.1 mg of catechin equivalents/g of extract, respectively. The scavenger activity and -carotene bleaching assays values (EC50) were 3.0 ± 0.7 mg/mL and 4.6 mg/mL ± 0.9 mg/mL, respectively. E. coli, sulphite-reducing Clostridia, Salmonella and S. aureus were not found.

Since there are studies indicating appreciable differences among BPs from different regions, the full characterization of BP from diverse origins still appears to be a sound research priority in order to obtain reliable data about this beehive product.

Gelam and Nenas Honeys Suppress Growth of Colon Cancer Cells

Gelam and Nenas Honeys Inhibit Proliferation of HT 29 Colon Cancer Cells by Inducing DNA Damage and Apoptosis while Suppressing Inflammation

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2012;13(4):1605-10

Gelam and Nenas monofloral honeys were investigated in this study for their chemopreventive effects against HT 29 colon cancer cells.

MTS (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H- tetrazolim) assays showed more effective inhibition of colon cancer cells proliferation by Gelam honey with IC50 values of 39.0 mg/ml and 85.5 mg/ml respectively after 24 hours of treatment. Alkali comet assays revealed both honeys increased DNA damage significantly in a dose dependent manner. In addition, annexin V-FITC/PI flow cytometry demonstrated that at IC50 concentrations and above, both Gelam and Nenas honeys induced apoptosis significantlyat values higher than for necrosis (p<0.05).

Measurement of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) confirmed that Gelam and Nenas honeys reduced its production in H2O2 inflammation-induced colon cancer cells.

In conclusion, our study indicated and confirmed that both Gelam and Nenas honeys are capable of suppressing the growth of HT 29 colon cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and suppressing inflammation.

Potential Use of Honey in the Management of Diabetes

Honey - A Novel Antidiabetic Agent

Int J Biol Sci, 2012;8(6):913-34, Epub 2012 Jul 7

Diabetes mellitus remains a burden worldwide in spite of the availability of numerous antidiabetic drugs. Honey is a natural substance produced by bees from nectar. Several evidence-based health benefits have been ascribed to honey in the recent years.

In this review article, we highlight findings which demonstrate the beneficial or potential effects of honey in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), on the gut microbiota, in the liver, in the pancreas and how these effects could improve glycemic control and metabolic derangements.

In healthy subjects or patients with impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes mellitus, various studies revealed that honey reduced blood glucose or was more tolerable than most common sugars or sweeteners. Pre-clinical studies provided more convincing evidence in support of honey as a potential antidiabetic agent than clinical studies did.

The not-too-impressive clinical data could mainly be attributed to poor study designs or due to the fact that the clinical studies were preliminary. Based on the key constituents of honey, the possible mechanisms of action of antidiabetic effect of honey are proposed. The paper also highlights the potential impacts and future perspectives on the use of honey as an antidiabetic agent. It makes recommendations for further clinical studies on the potential antidiabetic effect of honey.

This review provides insight on the potential use of honey, especially as a complementary agent, in the management of diabetes mellitus. Hence, it is very important to have well-designed, randomized controlled clinical trials that investigate the reproducibility (or otherwise) of these experimental data in diabetic human subjects.