Inhibition of mammary carcinoma cell proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo by bee venom

• Published in: Toxicon (Oxford) Vol. 41; no. 7; pp. 861 - 870
• Main Authors: ORSOLIC, Nada, SVER, Lidija, VERSTOVSEK, Srdan, TERZIC, Svjetlana, BASIC, Ivan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-06-2003; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Animals; Antineoplastic agents; Antineoplastic Agents - administration & dosage; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Apoptosis; Bee venom; Bee Venoms - administration & dosage; Bee Venoms - pharmacology; Bees; Biological and medical sciences; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Cell Division - drug effects; Chemotherapy; Cytotoxic effects; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Immunomodulation; Infusions, Intravenous; Injections, Subcutaneous; Lung Neoplasms - secondary; Lymph Nodes - drug effects; Lymphocytes - drug effects; Male; Medical sciences; Metastases; Mice; Mice, Inbred CBA; Necrosis; Neoplasm Metastasis; Organ Size; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Spleen - cytology; Spleen - drug effects; Tumor; Tumor Cells, Cultured - drug effects; Bee venom; Immunomodulation; Tumor; Cytotoxic effects; Metastases; Apoptosis; Necrosis; Antineoplastic agent; Cell proliferation; Cell culture; Intravenous administration; Insecta; Lung; Apidae; Route of administration; Apoidea; Subcutaneous administration; Mammary gland; Aculeata; Immune response; Apis; Rodentia; Animal origin; Malignant tumor; In vitro; Biological activity; In vivo; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Mouse; Cell death; Arthropoda; Animal; Venom; Lysis; Hymenoptera; Invertebrata
• ISSN: 0041-0101; 1879-3150
• DOI: 10.1016/S0041-0101(03)00045-X

The possible tumor growth- and metastasis-inhibiting effects of bee venom in mice and in tumor cell cultures were studied. The tumor was a transplantable mammary carcinoma (MCa) of CBA mouse. Intravenous administration of bee venom to mice significantly reduced the number of metastases in the lung. However, subcutaneous administration of bee venom did not reduce the number of lung metastases, indicating that the antitumor effect of the venom could be highly dependent on the route of injection as well as close contact between the components of the venom and the tumor cells, as was shown by in vitro studies on MCa cells. We also observed variations in immunological parameter induced by bee venom. We proposed that bee venom has an indirect mechanism of tumor growth inhibition and promotion of tumor rejection that is based on stimulation of the local cellular immune responses in lymph nodes. Apoptosis, necrosis, and lysis of tumor cells are other possible mechanisms by which bee venom inhibits tumor growth.