Apitoxin and Its Components against Cancer, Neurodegeneration and Rheumatoid Arthritis: Limitations and Possibilities
Natural products represent important sources for the discovery and design of novel drugs. Bee venom and its isolated components have been intensively studied with respect to their potential to counteract or ameliorate diverse human diseases. Despite extensive research and significant advances in rec...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-01-01
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| Series: | Toxins |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/12/2/66 |
| _version_ | 1811307350485630976 |
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| author | Andreas Aufschnaiter Verena Kohler Shaden Khalifa Aida Abd El-Wahed Ming Du Hesham El-Seedi Sabrina Büttner |
| author_facet | Andreas Aufschnaiter Verena Kohler Shaden Khalifa Aida Abd El-Wahed Ming Du Hesham El-Seedi Sabrina Büttner |
| author_sort | Andreas Aufschnaiter |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Natural products represent important sources for the discovery and design of novel drugs. Bee venom and its isolated components have been intensively studied with respect to their potential to counteract or ameliorate diverse human diseases. Despite extensive research and significant advances in recent years, multifactorial diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and neurodegenerative diseases remain major healthcare issues at present. Although pure bee venom, apitoxin, is mostly described to mediate anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic and neuroprotective effects, its primary component melittin may represent an anticancer therapeutic. In this review, we approach the possibilities and limitations of apitoxin and its components in the treatment of these multifactorial diseases. We further discuss the observed unspecific cytotoxicity of melittin that strongly restricts its therapeutic use and review interesting possibilities of a beneficial use by selectively targeting melittin to cancer cells. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T09:02:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1207732293cf4b37862ac59e9069aa86 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6651 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T09:02:56Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Toxins |
| spelling | doaj.art-1207732293cf4b37862ac59e9069aa862022-12-22T02:53:03ZengMDPI AGToxins2072-66512020-01-011226610.3390/toxins12020066toxins12020066Apitoxin and Its Components against Cancer, Neurodegeneration and Rheumatoid Arthritis: Limitations and PossibilitiesAndreas Aufschnaiter0Verena Kohler1Shaden Khalifa2Aida Abd El-Wahed3Ming Du4Hesham El-Seedi5Sabrina Büttner6Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Svante Arrheniusväg 16, 106 91 Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Svante Arrheniusväg 20C, 106 91 Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Svante Arrheniusväg 20C, 106 91 Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Bee Research, Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Centre, 12627 Giza, EgyptSchool of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116024, ChinaPharmacognosy Group, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, Biomedical Centre, Box 574, 751 23 Uppsala, SwedenDepartment of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Svante Arrheniusväg 20C, 106 91 Stockholm, SwedenNatural products represent important sources for the discovery and design of novel drugs. Bee venom and its isolated components have been intensively studied with respect to their potential to counteract or ameliorate diverse human diseases. Despite extensive research and significant advances in recent years, multifactorial diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and neurodegenerative diseases remain major healthcare issues at present. Although pure bee venom, apitoxin, is mostly described to mediate anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic and neuroprotective effects, its primary component melittin may represent an anticancer therapeutic. In this review, we approach the possibilities and limitations of apitoxin and its components in the treatment of these multifactorial diseases. We further discuss the observed unspecific cytotoxicity of melittin that strongly restricts its therapeutic use and review interesting possibilities of a beneficial use by selectively targeting melittin to cancer cells.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/12/2/66apaminapitoxinbee venomcancermelittinneurodegenerationphospholipase a2rheumatoid arthritis |
| spellingShingle | Andreas Aufschnaiter Verena Kohler Shaden Khalifa Aida Abd El-Wahed Ming Du Hesham El-Seedi Sabrina Büttner Apitoxin and Its Components against Cancer, Neurodegeneration and Rheumatoid Arthritis: Limitations and Possibilities Toxins apamin apitoxin bee venom cancer melittin neurodegeneration phospholipase a2 rheumatoid arthritis |
| title | Apitoxin and Its Components against Cancer, Neurodegeneration and Rheumatoid Arthritis: Limitations and Possibilities |
| title_full | Apitoxin and Its Components against Cancer, Neurodegeneration and Rheumatoid Arthritis: Limitations and Possibilities |
| title_fullStr | Apitoxin and Its Components against Cancer, Neurodegeneration and Rheumatoid Arthritis: Limitations and Possibilities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Apitoxin and Its Components against Cancer, Neurodegeneration and Rheumatoid Arthritis: Limitations and Possibilities |
| title_short | Apitoxin and Its Components against Cancer, Neurodegeneration and Rheumatoid Arthritis: Limitations and Possibilities |
| title_sort | apitoxin and its components against cancer neurodegeneration and rheumatoid arthritis limitations and possibilities |
| topic | apamin apitoxin bee venom cancer melittin neurodegeneration phospholipase a2 rheumatoid arthritis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/12/2/66 |
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