After the human body is stung by a bee, swelling and congestion appear immediately at the sting site, the skin temperature rises by 2-6°C, and there is a burning sensation. This is only the local effect of bee venom, and once the bee venom is absorbed, it will cause a series of complex biological changes.
Bee venom and its components Mellittin, topeptin and melittin have obvious neurophilic properties. Whole bee venom and melittin have selective blocking effects on nicotinic cholinergic receptors. Mellittin can directly act on the central nervous system through the blood-brain barrier. Bee venom has a ganglionic blocking effect.
Bee venom has obvious analgesic effect, and its inhibitory effect on analgesic adenosine synthase is about 70 times that of indomethacin tablets. Clinically, bee venom has a good therapeutic effect on neurosis, migraine and trigeminal neuralgia. It is generally believed that bee venom can regulate the tension of the nervous system, normalize the activity of the cerebral cortex, and adjust the metabolism of substances, thereby promoting the repair of the nerve itself.
Bee venom has a significant effect on the cardiovascular system of the respiratory system. People who are stung by a bee experience rapid breathing, which is generally believed to be a reflex reaction caused by a drop in blood pressure.
A large amount of bee venom can paralyze the respiratory center of the human or animal brain and cause death. Bee venom can cause a reduction in arterial blood pressure, which is mainly related to phosphatase A.
Mellitin is a strong cardiotoxin and has the effect of constricting blood vessels. The cardiopeptide and melittin in melittin have antiarrhythmic effects similar to isoproterenol, and the duration of the effect is much longer than that of melittin. Isoproterenol long.
The hemolytic effect of bee venom is very strong, and it can produce hemolysis at a very low concentration (1/10000). The mechanism is that melittin and phosphatase A2 in bee venom can enhance the infiltration ability of red blood cell walls, resulting in a large amount of intracellular colloid exudation, the decrease of intracellular osmotic pressure, resulting in cell split angle; colloid exudative hemolysis".
Bee venom has anticoagulant effects in vivo or in vitro, which significantly prolongs blood clotting time.
Bee venom has a certain anti-radiation effect, which can enhance the stress ability of the body, reduce the degree of radiation damage, reduce the frequency of cell chromosome aberrations caused by radiation, and improve the survival rate of animals.
Bee venom has the potential to protect and revive hematopoietic cells, preventing radiation-induced degeneration of the bone marrow and spleen. The main bioactive components of bee venom against radiation are melittin, phosphatase A2, hyaluronan esterase, acid phosphatase, and allergens B and C.
In March 2013, American scientists used chemicals found in bee sting toxin to destroy HIV and prevent the spread of AIDS without damaging surrounding normal cells.
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that a toxin called melittin in bee venom can pierce the protective outer layer of HIV. Mellittin on the particle surface is effectively destroyed.
In theory, HIV cannot defend against melittin attack. The researchers said that by adding a special "molecular buffer" to the nanoparticles, they can ensure that the nanoparticles "bounce" immediately when they come into contact with normal human cells, thereby protecting normal body cells from melittin.
Most current anti-AIDS drugs only work by inhibiting HIV replication, not preventing the virus from infecting humans, the researchers said. In contrast, the new therapy using melittin can attack an important part of the HIV structure, destroy the inherent physical properties of the virus, and prevent infection in the first place.
The researchers believe the therapy will be an important step in preventing the spread of HIV in humans. In the future, the melittin-carrying nanoparticles can be used to treat AIDS patients by intravenous injection and completely eliminate the AIDS virus in the blood.
