Dr Duffy said the honeybee venom was extremely potent and a specific concentration of venom could induce 100 per cent cancer cell death, while having minimal effects on normal cells.
“We found that melittin can completely destroy cancer cell membranes within 60 minutes,” she said.
Melittin in honeybee venom was also found to have another remarkable effect; within 20 minutes it was able to substantially reduce the chemical messages of cancer cells essential to cancer cell growth and cell division.
“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,” Dr Duffy said.
“This study provides another wonderful example of where compounds in nature can be used to treat human diseases.”
Professor Peter Klinken
“Melittin modulated the signalling in breast cancer cells by suppressing the activation of the receptor that is commonly overexpressed in triple-negative breast cancer, the epidermal growth factor receptor, and it suppressed the activation of HER2 which is over-expressed in HER2-enriched breast cancer.”
Western Australia’s Chief Scientist Professor Peter Klinken said it was an incredibly exciting observation that melittin, a major component of honeybee venom, could suppress the growth of deadly breast cancer cells, particularly triple-negative breast cancer.
“Significantly, this study demonstrates how melittin interferes with signalling pathways within breast cancer cells to reduce cell replication. It provides another wonderful example of where compounds in nature can be used to treat human diseases,” Professor Klinken said.
Dr Duffy also tested to see if melittin could be used with existing chemotherapy drugs as it forms pores, or holes, in breast cancer cell membranes, potentially enabling the entry of other treatments into the cancer cell to enhance cell death.
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