Bee venom is a transparent liquid with a special aromatic odor, bitter taste, acidic reaction, pH of 5.0 to 5.5, and specific gravity of 1.1313.
It is quickly volatilized and dried to 30% to 40% of the original liquid weight at room temperature. The components of this volatile matter contain at least 12 kinds of components that can be identified by gas phase analysis, including alarm hormones based on isoamyl acetate. Because it is easily lost during collection and refining, it is often overlooked when talking about the chemical composition of bee venom.
Bee venom is very soluble in water, glycerol and acid, but insoluble in alcohol. Under strictly sealed conditions, even at room temperature, the activity of bee venom can remain unchanged for several years.
1. The production route of bee venom
Bee venom is a transparent liquid with fragrant odor secreted by the venom glands and accessory glands of worker bees.
A newly released worker bee has only a small amount of venom, and it gradually accumulates with age. It is about 0.3 mg when it is 15 days old. After reaching the guard bee age (about 18 days old), it will no longer produce more venom. Lots of venom.
To collect bee venom artificially, the method of electric stimulation of bees to take poison is currently used, which is completed by electric bee venom.
2. The main components of bee venom
Bee venom is a complex mixture, in which moisture accounts for 80%-88%, and also contains several protein polypeptides, enzymes, histamines, acids, amino acids and trace elements.
Among the polypeptide substances, melittin accounts for about 50% of dried bee venom, and melittin neuropeptide accounts for 3% of dried bee venom.
There are more than 55 kinds of enzymes in bee venom, the content of phospholipase A accounts for 12% of the dried bee venom, and the content of hyaluronidase accounts for about 2% to 3% of the dried bee venom.
The main components of bee venom are polypeptides, which account for 70% to 80% of the dry weight of bee venom, including melittin, melittin, MCD-peptide, cardiac peptide, calming peptide (saicapine), and four-pin peptide (toxin). Peptides), andurapine (andu peptide), histamine-containing peptides, etc.
In addition to peptides and enzymes, bee venom also contains histamine, free amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, hormones and various other biogenic amine compounds. Poisoned anti-inflammatory substances.
(1) Histamine: The content of histamine in bee venom is related to the age of worker bees. Japan's Inoue Hideo confirmed that the histamine content in the venom sac of the worker bees was very small when they were just out of the house, reaching 1.4±0.5 μg at 14-15 days of age; Day-old increased to 2.1±0.4μg; 35-36 days of age dropped to 1.5±0.4μg.
Histamine accounts for 0.1% to 1.5% of the weight of bee venom. The biological effects of histamine: mainly cause the tension and contraction of smooth muscle and skeletal muscle, causing the skin to burn.
(2) Catecholamines: including dopamine (DA), norepinephrine and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), the content of which is related to the age and season of worker bees.
①Dopamine: It is the predecessor of norepinephrine. The content of dopamine in bee venom can reach 0.8±0.5 μg when the worker bees are 14 to 15 days old, and the amine content in bee venom is the highest in mid-August, reaching 4.3±1.1 μg , At this time, the live bee stings, the biological effect is more obvious, and it also participates in pain regulation.
②Norepinephrine: its content in bee venom is gradually increasing, and the content of 21-22-day-old worker bees is 0.4±0.3μg. Then it decreased for a while, and then gradually increased, reaching as high as 0.5±0.2 μg at 35-36 days of age. It and dopamine are also anti-inflammatory substances in bee venom.
③Serotonin: The content of bee venom is very small, it is a monoamine transmitter, and it is also involved in pain regulation.
Bee needle liquid (bee venom) has a wide range of biological activities. The main pharmacological components are melittin, melittin, MCD-peptide, cardiac peptide, anddura, etc. It has been proved by experiments that bee needle liquid has a strong immune adjustment function. , anti-arrhythmic, anti-coagulant, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, among which melittin can directly inhibit the inflammatory response and eliminate swelling, which is 100 times stronger than the same dose of hydrocortisone; the anti-inflammatory and analgesic ability of MCD-peptide is 70 times that of indomethacin and 2 times that of salicylic acid, so bee needle liquid has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, eliminates swelling, and controls the erosion of synovial lesions on bone.
Mellittin, melittin, MCD-peptide can stimulate the pituitary-adrenal system, promote the release of corticosteroids, and can directly increase plasma cortisol to play an anti-inflammatory and immune function.
In addition, some pharmacological components in the bee needle liquid also have the functions of scavenging oxygen free radicals, anti-oxidation, and improving the function of organs; from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, bee needle liquid has the functions of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, dispelling wind and dampness, loosening tendons and activating collaterals, and adjusting the functions of organs. Effective for anti-inflammatory.
