Abstract Background Bee venom (BV) contains a variety of bioactive agents, including peptides and enzymes, which possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor properties. The current research aimed to investigate the in vitro cytotoxic effects of BV against human breast ductal carcinoma (T-47D), resistant T-47D, human pancreatic cancer (Panc-1), human prostate cancer (Pc-3), and human normal breast cell (MCF-10A) proliferation by using the MTT assay. The study also extended to evaluate the antitumor effect of bee venom on the Ehrlich solid tumor in vivo. Results Treatment with BV demonstrated a notable dose-dependent anticancer effect, particularly on T-47D, resistant T-47D, PC-3, PANC-1, and normal MCF-10A cells after 24 h, with IC50 values ranging between 1.3 and 5.8 μg/mL whereas the most sensitive cell lines are breast cancer cell lines, T-47D, and the resistant T-47D with selective indices of 55.59 and 39.98, respectively; therefore, these cells were chosen for further analysis. SDS-PAGE of BV revealed the presence of proteins between 10 and ~ 44 kDa. Flow cytometry analysis presented that BV induced G1-phase T-47D cell arrest. In T-47D cells, BV also resulted in a much higher rate of DNA fragmentation. Furthermore, Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining illustrated the mechanism of the cytotoxic properties of BV in T-47D and resistant cells through apoptosis, which was confirmed with increased expression of pro-apoptotic protein (BAX) and reduced levels of the anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2) protein, as shown immunohistochemically in vivo. An in vivo study demonstrated that BV significantly reduced the Ehrlich solid tumor weight and volume with minimal toxicity. Conclusion Bee venom is a promising natural agent with potent in vitro and in vivo activity against both cancer and resistant cancer cells, showing potential for synergistic use with conventional chemotherapy.
Abbas et al. (2026) studied this question.