Bee Venom Composition: From Chemistry to Biological Activity

Nature has provided many drugs capable of treating and alleviating human diseases. Terrestrial plants, bacteria, insects, fungi, and bee products have played major roles in traditional medicine. Secondary metabolites from a range of bee products, such as honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, and bee venom, represent a huge repository of chemical biodiversity, providing renewable and rewarding sources of therapeutic substances, either directly from nature or as synthesized analogues. Bee venom in particular has attracted a lot of attention due to its wide range of bioactive components, such as melittin, apamin, adolapin, secapin, tertiapin, mast cell-degranulating phospholipase A2, and hyaluronidase. Histamine, epinephrine, and macromolecules (such as lipids, carbohydrates, and free amino acids) are further components. Rapid developments in chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques have enabled the identification of novel compounds as potential pharmaceutical constituents, including acid phoshatase, dipeptidyl peptidase, Api m 6, CUB serine protease, melittin-S, and secapin-1,2. This chapter updates knowledge on the BV chemical profile, in particular what was learned between 2007 and 2016. This includes such aspects as traditional uses, venom collection, factors affecting bee venom content, isolated components, and finally the synthesis of some recently isolated compounds.