A comparison of honey bee and scorpion venoms as anticancer agents against three different cancer cell lines: lung, colon and breast cancer
Abstract
Due to the drawbacks and negative effects associated with conventional cancer therapies, there is increasing interest in identifying effective natural alternatives. In this study, the anticancer potential of honey bee and scorpion venom was evaluated using three human cancer cell lines: lung adenocarcinoma (A549), colon carcinoma (HCT-116), and breast adenocarcinoma (MDA-MB-231). The chemical composition, biological activity and molecular interactions of both venoms with important cancer-related targets were investigated through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), cytotoxicity assays, gene expression analysis and molecular docking. GC-MS analysis revealed that scorpion venom was mainly composed of methyl isocyanide, 3-butyn-1-ol and allene, while honey bee venom was characterized by caprylic anhydride, 1,3,5-triazine derivatives and palmitin as major bioactive constituents. Functional analyzes showed that both venoms modulated the expression of genes associated with apoptosis and other cancer-related pathways rather than directly inducing apoptosis. In particular, scorpion venom significantly downregulated the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2while honey bee venom upregulated its expression, indicating distinct mechanisms of action. Scorpion venom exerted pronounced pro-apoptotic effects, while honey bee venom acted primarily through immunomodulatory and anti-angiogenic pathways. Molecular docking analyzes confirmed favorable interactions between venom-derived compounds and key molecular targets, including Bcl-2, Bax, p53 and VEGF, supporting their potential as multi-target anticancer agents. Taken together, these findings show that honey bee and scorpion venoms have promising anticancer properties via distinct but complementary mechanisms, with particular effect against lung and breast adenocarcinoma cell lines. The results highlight the potential of these toxins as natural candidates for the development of alternative anticancer drugs.
Galal, FH, Alshammari, FM, Aldaghmi, AS, Hafez, EE, El-Sayed, GM, Aeban, RH, & Alharbi, SA (2026). A comparison of honey bee and scorpion venoms as anticancer agents against three different cancer cell lines: lung, colon and breast cancer. Frontiers in toxicology, 81756933. https://doi.org/10.3389/ftox.2026.1756933
