Bee venom is an increasingly popular product in the field of clinical and therapeutic research, as it has interesting properties that position it in the treatment of degenerative and infectious diseases such as Parkinson’s disease or osteoarthritis.
Now, a study just published in the journal PLOS ONE looks at the protein diversity in the venom produced by the domestic bee ( Apis mellifera ) in southwestern Australia and the factors that influence this variety. “We discovered 99 different proteins. The more there are, the higher the quality of the poison and its potential applications ”, explains the author and researcher at the University of Curtin Daniela Scaccabarozzi.
To understand the factors that determine the diversity of proteins in bee venom, the team of researchers examined a large group of variables that included aspects of behavior. “One of those factors had to do with the association between docile and active bees. We discovered that ‘angry’ bees that reacted intensely to our stimulating devices produced a richer and more protein-dense venom ”, explains the researcher. “ The total amount of venom released by the bees depends on the secretion of alarm pheromones that induces other bees to react aggressively by stinging. This may be the result of changes in genetics that can cause aggression in bees ”.
Influence of temperature
Temperature is another variable that affects the protein composition of bee venom. “High temperatures can be detrimental to the activity of bees inside and outside the colonies. Of the 25 hives analyzed, we found that the sites with higher temperatures had less venom production, ”Scaccabarozzi points out. The results also revealed that geographic location had an impact on the composition of the bee venom , as well as the stage the flowers were in during harvest when the bees consumed them.
For the authors, this type of research can help beekeepers to collect a standardized quality of venom to meet the growing demand in clinical and therapeutic fields, as well as to design profitable strategies for the harvest of bee venom that allow them to secure their position. in the global market.
Referencia: Scaccabarozzi D, Dods K, Le TT, Gummer JPA, Lussu M, Milne L, et al. (2021) Factors driving the compositional diversity of Apis mellifera bee venom from a Corymbia calophylla (marri) ecosystem, Southwestern Australia. PLoS ONE 16(6): e0253838. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253838
