Bee Venom vs Cancer

Scientists have recently proven that bee venom can destroy cancer cells, while sparing healthy ones. This is a feat that even the best chemotherapy drugs have failed to accomplish. But, considering the tenuous state of many native bee species in our world today, is using bee venom to treat cancer truly sustainable?

The short answer is yes. If you want the details, keep reading

How Bee Venom Destroys Cancer

Honey Bee venom contains a powerful peptide called Melittin that targets and ruptures cancer cell membranes, while leaving healthy cells untouched. This is because cancer cells have a negatively charged membrane. Melittin is a positively charged peptide that binds to and disrupts the negatively charged membranes of cancer cells, causing it to rupture and leak its contents; that process is called cell lysis. Lysis is a form of cell death.

The authors of a 2020 research study found that melittin has a remarkable ability to target and destroy breast cancer cells, in particular, efficiently. Dr. Duffy said, “We found that melittin can completely destroy cancer cell membranes within 60 minutes.”¹

Melittin in honeybee venom also had another remarkable effect; within 20 minutes, melittin was able to substantially reduce the chemical messages of cancer cells that are essential to cancer cell growth and cell division.¹

Aren’t Bees Still Endangered?

Yes. Many bee species are definitely still endangered and on the verge of extinction, due to habitat loss, the use of pesticides, diseases, competition from invasive species, and even natural predators. In the United States, this is especially true for the Rusty-patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis), Hawaiian yellow-faced bees (Hylaeus aka Nalo Meli Maoli), and other wild indigenous bee species. This is something we should be concerned about, but not in regards to the use of melittin from bee venom.

Firstly, honey bees (Apis Mellifera) have the highest percentage of melittin in their venom. By dry weight, honey bee venom is 40-50% melittin. Most other bee species have far lower concentrations of melittin in their venom, and some species have none at all. And, fortunately, Apis Mellifera are not an endangered species.

This farmed honey bee species is well-managed because of their importance to the billion dollar honey industry. So, at present, these farmed species are relatively safe.

Even so, natural substances cannot be patented. Which is probably why scientists have developed a means of synthesizing melittin in the lab.

Synthesized Melittin vs Natural Melittin

In laboratory studies, synthetic melittin has been shown to possess the same anti-cancer effects of whole bee venom, with the added benefits of being less toxic and more stable.

The early synthetic versions of melittin were nearly identical in function to natural melittin, but modern synthetic derivatives can be engineered to enhanced desired traits while minimizing any negative ones.

Both forms of melittin also inhibit signaling pathways in cancer cells, thereby preventing the growth and spread cancers.

“We looked at how honeybee venom and melittin affect the cancer signalling pathways, the chemical messages that are fundamental for cancer cell growth and reproduction, and we found that very quickly these signalling pathways were shut down,” [Duffy] said.¹

Highlights From the 2020 Study

Researchers tested honeybee venom and synthetic melittin on various breast cancer cell lines. Here are some of their key findings:

• Melittin inhibited 100% of TNBC and HER2-positive breast cancer cells in vitro within one hour.


• The compound selectively spared normal breast cells, demonstrating its targeting potential.


• Melittin suppressed the EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) and HER2 receptor signaling pathways, both of which are frequently upregulated in aggressive breast cancers.


• When combined with docetaxel, a common chemotherapy drug, melittin enhanced the drug’s effectiveness in reducing tumor growth in mouse models.

“Melittin modulated the signaling in cancer cells by suppressing the activation of the receptor that is commonly overexpressed in triple-negative breast cancer and HER2-enriched breast cancer,” Dr. Duffy explained in the study.¹

Why This Matters

Triple-negative breast cancer accounts for roughly 10-15% of all breast cancers and is particularly challenging to treat because it lacks estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors. As such, it does not respond to hormonal or targeted therapies currently available. HER2-positive breast cancer, while more treatable today, can also become resistant to targeted drugs over time.

Melittin's ability to act directly on cancer cells - both physically (by rupturing membranes) and biochemically (by altering signaling) - makes it a promising candidate for future drug development.

As I stated above, natural substances cannot be patented. And patents mean money.

Safety and Next Steps

Although the laboratory and animal study results are compelling, this research is still in its early stages. Bee venom can cause allergic reactions in some individuals, including anaphylaxis, and must be handled with extreme care. Clinical trials in humans are necessary to evaluate safety, dosing, and the most effective methods of delivery.

The 2020 research team used synthetic melittin in their studies, which opens the door to non-toxic, reproducible forms of the compound that could be scaled for therapeutic use. Encapsulating melittin in nanoparticles or conjugating it with antibodies are being explored to increase specificity and reduce off-target effects.

As the authors of a 2023 paper published in Journal Nanobiotechnology noted:

“Despite the excellent cytolytic activity and anticancer performance of MLT, the serious nonspecific cytolytic activity and hemolytic toxicity largely impede its clinical applications.”²

In other words, researchers must find a delivery system that that will enhance tumor targeting while minimizing damage to healthy cells before testing on human subjects.

In Conclusion

Honey bee venom, specifically its powerful peptide component melittin, shows real promise as a therapeutic tool in targeting aggressive forms of cancer. However, the research studies have all been conducted on animals and in laboratory settings.

Much work needs to be done before human trials are even a possibility. But the data, so far, indicates that bee venom is destined to be a powerful weapon in the fight against cancer.