Pharmacological synergism of bee venom and melittin with antibiotics and plant secondary metabolites against multi-drug resistant microbial pathogens

AL-Ani, Issam; Zimmermann, Stefan; Reichling, Jürgen; Wink, Michael

doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2014.11.019

Cited by 117 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The co-administration of antibiotics with permeability enhancing compounds can enhance activity due to an increase of drug with permeability [67]. Several investigations have addressed possible synergistic effects between melittin and other anti-microbial agents, in particular, conventional antibiotics [55,57,59,68,69].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pan-Drug Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, but Not Other Strains, Are Resistant to the Bee Venom Peptide Melittin

et al. 2020

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Acinetobacter baumannii is a prevalent pathogen in hospital settings with increasing importance in infections associated with biofilm production. Due to a rapid increase in its drug resistance and the failure of commonly available antibiotics to treat A. baumannii infections, this bacterium has become a critical public health issue. For these multi-drug resistant A. baumannii, polymyxin antibiotics are considered the only option for the treatment of severe infections. Concerning, several polymyxin-resistant A. baumannii strains have been isolated over the last few years. This study utilized pan drug-resistant (PDR) strains of A. baumannii isolated in Brazil, along with susceptible (S) and extreme drug-resistant (XDR) strains in order to evaluate the in vitro activity of melittin, an antimicrobial peptide, in comparison to polymyxin and another antibiotic, imipenem. From a broth microdilution method, the determined minimum inhibitory concentration showed that S and XDR strains were susceptible to melittin. In contrast, PDR A. baumannii was resistant to all treatments. Treatment with the peptide was also observed to inhibit biofilm formation of a susceptible strain and appeared to cause permanent membrane damage. A subpopulation of PDR showed membrane damage, however, it was not sufficient to stop bacterial growth, suggesting that alterations involved with antibiotic resistance could also influence melittin resistance. Presumably, mutations in the PDR that have arisen to confer resistance to widely used therapeutics also confer resistance to melittin. Our results demonstrate the potential of melittin to be used in the control of bacterial infections and suggest that antimicrobial peptides can serve as the basis for the development of new treatments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pan-Drug Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, but Not Other Strains, Are Resistant to the Bee Venom Peptide Melittin

et al. 2020

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“…Bee venom has been used in China, Japan, and Korea for the treatment of various inflammatory disorders, including arthritis. Bee venom is a complex mixture of at least 18 pharmacologically active components, including melittin, apamin, adolapin, phospholipase A 2 , and mast cell deregulating peptide 11 . Among these compounds, melittin is the principal toxin and the major active peptide, contributing 52% of the dry weight of bee venom 19 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some studies have demonstrated the anti-inflammatory effects of bee venom, reporting downregulation of IL-1 and TNF-α through suppression of nuclear factor (NF)-κB 5 9 . Moreover, several reports have demonstrated that melittin, the main component of bee venom, has antimicrobial activity, especially against S. aureus 10 11 . Based on these previous studies, emollient containing bee venom is expected to have a beneficial effect in treating AD, due to its anti-inflammatory as well as anti-microbial properties.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Emollient Containing Bee Venom on Atopic Dermatitis: A Double-Blinded, Randomized, Base-Controlled, Multicenter Study of 136 Patients

et al. 2016

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BackgroundAtopic dermatitis (AD) is a common, complex disease that follows a chronic relapsing course and significantly affects the quality of life of patients. Skin barrier dysfunction and inflammatory processes induce and aggravate this skin condition. Proper use of an emollient for hydration is a keystone of AD treatment. Bee venom is known to have anti-inflammatory effects and has been widely used in traditional medicine to treat various inflammatory disorders.ObjectiveTo find out the beneficial effect of an emollient containing bee venom in the treatment of patients with AD.MethodsThis study included 136 patients with AD who were randomized to receive either an emollient containing bee venom and silk-protein or a vehicle that was identical except for the bee venom for 4 weeks. The patients were instructed to apply the emollient twice daily on their entire body and not to use other medications, including topicals, during the course of the study. The eczema area and severity index (EASI) score, transepidermal water loss, and visual analogue scale (VAS) score of itching were evaluated at the first visit and after 2 and 4 weeks. The investigator global assessment was evaluated at 2 and 4 weeks after the application of emollient containing bee venom or vehicle.ResultsPatients applying emollient containing bee venom showed significantly lower EASI score and VAS value compared to patients applying emollient without bee venom.ConclusionEmollient containing bee venom is a safe and effective option for patients with AD.

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“…Many studies have found instances of improved efficacies of bee products when they are combined with antibiotics and there is a clinical interest in the use of combinations of bee products and antimicrobial agents to improve the spectrum of drug activity [13][14][15][16][17][18][19].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary study on synergistic combinations of raw honey with gentamicin against Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa of veterinary origin

2015

J Coast Life Med

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Pharmacological synergism of bee venom and melittin with antibiotics and plant secondary metabolites against multi-drug resistant microbial pathogens

Cited by 117 publications

References 23 publications

Pan-Drug Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, but Not Other Strains, Are Resistant to the Bee Venom Peptide Melittin

Pan-Drug Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, but Not Other Strains, Are Resistant to the Bee Venom Peptide Melittin

Effects of Emollient Containing Bee Venom on Atopic Dermatitis: A Double-Blinded, Randomized, Base-Controlled, Multicenter Study of 136 Patients

Preliminary study on synergistic combinations of raw honey with gentamicin against Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa of veterinary origin

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