Death due to Live Bee Acupuncture Apitherapy

Vazquez-Revuelta, P.; Madrigal-Burgaleta, Ricardo

doi:10.18176/jiaci.0202

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…This study also highlighted the poor quality of the studies performed in this discipline and the concomitant difficulty in analyzing the results [169]. Furthermore, given the allergenicity of the components of BV, cases of allergenic reactions and anaphylactic responses to BV treatment have also occurred [170]. In this perspective, other authors have emphasized that safety studies have not been developed on clinical application of BV and factors such as the incidence of adverse events, dose, frequency or form of administration have not been established or critically assessed in depth [3,168].…”

Section: Clinical Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Bee Venom: An Updating Review of Its Bioactive Molecules and Its Health Applications

2020

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Bee venom (BV) is usually associated with pain since, when humans are stung by bees, local inflammation and even an allergic reaction can be produced. BV has been traditionally used in ancient medicine and in acupuncture. It consists of a mixture of substances, principally of proteins and peptides, including enzymes as well as other types of molecules in a very low concentration. Melittin and phospholipase A2 (PLA2) are the most abundant and studied compounds of BV. Literature of the main biological activities exerted by BV shows that most studies focuses on the comprehension and test of anti-inflammatory effects and its mechanisms of action. Other properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, neuroprotective or antitumor effects have also been assessed, both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, human trials are necessary to confirm those clinical applications. However, notwithstanding the therapeutic potential of BV, there are certain problems regarding its safety and the possible appearance of adverse effects. On this perspective, new approaches have been developed to avoid these complications. This manuscript is aimed at reviewing the actual knowledge on BV components and its associated biological activities as well as the latest advances on this subject.

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Section: Clinical Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Bee Venom: An Updating Review of Its Bioactive Molecules and Its Health Applications

2020

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“…Apitherapy triggers local skin hypertrophy and scarring; there are also other potential risks ( 39 , 40 ). We performed apitherapy in a ward with first-aid equipment at hand and increased the number of bee stings in an orderly and gradual manner.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anti-PD-1 Immunotherapy and Bee Venom for Relapsed and Refractory Liposarcoma: A Case Report

et al. 2021

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Cancer immunotherapies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, elicit long-term clinical responses but many cancer patients do not respond. Intensive efforts are therefore underway to identify additional immune pathways that may be modulated to enhance the efficacy of existing immunotherapies. Bee venom strongly stimulates the immune system, and is used as a complementary therapy to treat cancer pain in patients with advanced tumors in China. Bee venom contains several allergenic protease inhibitors and peptides. It triggers hypersensitivity reactions; that is, it is an immune system agonist. The generation of a spontaneous T cell response against tumor-associated antigens requires innate immune activation; this drives type I interferon production. We report a patient with a relapsed and refractory liposarcoma who had undergone several operations, chemotherapies, and radiotherapies. The tumor was large. The patient had attained the maximum radiation exposure dose. The tumor was resistant to chemotherapy and was infiltrating the pericardium, lungs, and diaphragm. The patient was a poor candidate for resection. He thus received apitherapy (a combination of bee venom and acupuncture) to control pain; then apatinib (an anti-angiogenic drug) was given to inhibit tumor growth but was terminated early because the patient could not tolerate the side effects. Subsequently, a programmed death 1 inhibitor was combined with apitherapy. Bee venom served as an innate immune system agonist promoting immune cell priming and recruitment in the tumor microenvironment. The patient was finally able to undergo radical liposarcoma resection, and no evidence of recurrence was found at re-examination 16 months after surgery.

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“…BV can induce allergenic reactions and anaphylactic responses [36]. A component of BV, bvPLA2, is considered a major inflammatory trigger and a main allergenic substance of BV [37].…”

Section: Cell Culture and Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bee Venom Prevents Mucin 5AC Production through Inhibition of AKT and SPDEF Activation in Airway Epithelia Cells

Kim

Chang

et al. 2021

Toxins

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IL-13 induces mucus metaplasia, which causes airway obstruction in asthma. Bee venom (BV) and its components have shown anti-inflammatory effects in allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis and asthma. In this study, we investigated the effect of BV on IL-13-induced mucus metaplasia through activation of the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT6), and regulation of SAM-pointed domain containing Ets-like factor (SPDEF) and forkhead box A2 (FOXA2) in the airway epithelia cell line A549. In A549 cells, BV (1.0 µg/mL) inhibited IL-13 (10 ng/mL)-induced AKT phosphorylation, increase in SPDEF protein expression, and decrease in FOXA2 protein expression—but not STAT6 phosphorylation. BV also prevented the IL-13-induced increase in mucin 5AC (MUC5AC) mRNA and protein expression. Moreover, we observed that inhibition of phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K)/AKT using LY294002 (50 µM) could reverse the alterations in FOXA2 and MUC5AC expression -by IL-13 and BV. However, LY294002 did not affect IL-13- and BV-induced changes in SPDEF expression. These findings indicate that BV inhibits MUC5AC production through the regulation of SPDEF and FOXA2. The inhibition of MUC5AC production through FOXA2 is mediated via the suppression of PI3K/AKT activation by BV. BV may be helpful in the prevention of mucus metaplasia in asthma.

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Death due to Live Bee Acupuncture Apitherapy

Cited by 15 publications

References 4 publications

Bee Venom: An Updating Review of Its Bioactive Molecules and Its Health Applications

Bee Venom: An Updating Review of Its Bioactive Molecules and Its Health Applications

Anti-PD-1 Immunotherapy and Bee Venom for Relapsed and Refractory Liposarcoma: A Case Report

Bee Venom Prevents Mucin 5AC Production through Inhibition of AKT and SPDEF Activation in Airway Epithelia Cells

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