Potential Therapeutic Applications of Bee Venom on Skin Disease and Its Mechanisms: A Literature Review
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College of Korean Medicine, Dongshin University, Naju-si, Jeollanam-do 58245, Korea
2
Department of Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology & Dermatology, College of Korean Medicine, Dongshin University, Naju-si, Jeollanam-do 58245, Korea
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Toxins 2019, 11(7), 374; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins11070374
Received: 3 June 2019
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Revised: 23 June 2019
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Accepted: 25 June 2019
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Published: 27 June 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arthropod Venom Components and Their Potential Usage)
Skin is larger than any other organ in humans. Like other organs, various bacterial, viral, and inflammatory diseases, as well as cancer, affect the skin. Skin diseases like acne, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis often reduce the quality of life seriously. Therefore, effective treatment of skin disorders is important despite them not being life-threatening. Conventional medicines for skin diseases include corticosteroids and antimicrobial drugs, which are effective in treating many inflammatory and infectious skin diseases; however, there are growing concerns about the side effects of these therapies, especially during long-term use in relapsing or intractable diseases. Hence, many researchers are trying to develop alternative treatments, especially from natural sources, to resolve these limitations. Bee venom (BV) is an attractive candidate because many experimental and clinical reports show that BV exhibits anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, anti-fibrotic, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and anticancer effects. Here, we review the therapeutic applications of BV in skin diseases, including acne, alopecia, atopic dermatitis, melanoma, morphea, photoaging, psoriasis, wounds, wrinkles, and vitiligo. Moreover, we explore the therapeutic mechanisms of BV in the treatment of skin diseases and killing effects of BV on skin disease-causing pathogens, including bacteria, fungi and viruses.
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Keywords:
bee venom; alternative treatment; skin; cutaneous disease; mechanism
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MDPI and ACS Style
Kim, H.; Park, S.-Y.; Lee, G. Potential Therapeutic Applications of Bee Venom on Skin Disease and Its Mechanisms: A Literature Review. Toxins 2019, 11, 374. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins11070374
AMA Style
Kim H, Park S-Y, Lee G. Potential Therapeutic Applications of Bee Venom on Skin Disease and Its Mechanisms: A Literature Review. Toxins. 2019; 11(7):374. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins11070374
Chicago/Turabian StyleKim, Haejoong, Soo-Yeon Park, and Gihyun Lee. 2019. "Potential Therapeutic Applications of Bee Venom on Skin Disease and Its Mechanisms: A Literature Review" Toxins 11, no. 7: 374. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins11070374
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