We have not finished praising the merits of bees … Both for ecology and health, they are essential. Besides, a recent study by Australian researchers reveals a new benefit, concerning their venom, potentially effective against a type of tumor linked to breast cancer.
The most aggressive breast cancers (called “triple negative”) represent 15% of all breast cancers and are particularly difficult to treat because we currently do not know of any effective targeted therapy against their tumors. On the other hand, their response to immunotherapies is not satisfactory. But this recent Australian study points out that bee venom could have a beneficial effect against this same type of breast cancer.
Cancerous tumors cleared within an hour
The latter was taken from sleeping bees and injected into laboratory mice suffering from triple negative cancers. A component of the venom, called melittin, has been shown to be particularly reactive to tumors, causing them to disappear within an hour. Melittin attacks the cancer cell and quite simply kills it.
Scientists have also noticed that bee venom paralyzed the reproductive capacity of cancer cells. This study is not yet advanced enough to be applied to humans, nor to determine whether melittin will be sufficient to treat this type of cancer, or whether it will need to be combined with other drugs. But it gives hope for an alternative for patients with triple negative cancers.
Read also:
- Sun exposure and breast implants: several cases of burns identified
- Breast self-palpation: 7 photos to know how to do it
