# Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Properties of Honey Bee Venom
## 2 Results and Discussion
### Antimicrobial Activity of BV and Extracts  
Much attention has been paid to the study of the antimicrobial action of bee venom [16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22]. These properties are due to the presence of peptide compounds, phospholipase A2, MCD (mast cell degranulating) peptide, and melittin. The antibiotic effect of BV is related to the ability of melittin and MCD peptide to damage cell membranes, including the protective membranes of Gram-negative bacteria such as _E. coli_ and various _Pseudomonas_ species [21; 42; 43; 44; 21]. One of the goals of this study was to elucidate the role of low molecular weight metabolites in the formation of the antimicrobial activity of BV. In experiments aimed at solving the problem, the values of the MIC and MBC/MFC for BV samples and extracts obtained from them were determined. The values given in Table 4 indicate a very high activity of both tested samples of BV against Gram-positive bacteria and a pathogenic fungus. Interestingly, in the case of Gram-negative bacteria, _E. coli_ appeared to be more sensitive to the action of BV.  
The least active was the ether extract, for which the MIC values were almost two orders of magnitude greater than for the whole BV and significantly higher than for the methanol extract. However, the inhibitory ability of the ether extract against Gram-positive bacteria and the fungus _C. albicans_ does not seem insignificant when compared with a similar characteristic for such a recognized natural antibiotic as propolisis. For example, different types of propolis show MIC values for the dangerous honey bee pathogen _P. larvae_, in the range of 8-125 ug mL [46; 47], i.e., orders of magnitude higher than the ether extracts from BV. The same difference in MIC values is observed between the action of ether extracts and different types of propolis on other microbes shown in Table 4[47; 48].  
The results obtained indicate that the antimicrobial activity of BV is associated not only with the action of the peptides contained in it, but at least in part with low molecular weight metabolites produced by venom glands.  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Sample**} & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**Gram-Positive Bacteria**} & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**Gram-Negative Bacteria**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Fungus**} \\ \cline{2-9}  & _P. larvae_ & _S. aureus_ & _B. cereus_ & _B. subtilis_ & _P. aeruginosa_ & _E. coli_ & _C. albicans_ \\  & **ATCC 9545** & **ATCC 6538** & **ATCC 10987** & **ATCC 6633** & **ATCC 19582** & **ATCC 11229** & **ATCC 90029** \\ \hline \multicolumn{9}{c}{MIC, ng mL\({}^{-1}\)} \\ \hline Bee venom Bv-1 & 1.91 & 7.63 & 7.63 & 0.12 & \(>\)500 & 122.07 & 30.52 \\ \hline - ether extract & 122.07 & 500 & - & 125 & \(>\)500 & \(>\)500 & 488.28 \\ \hline - methanol extract & 31.25 & 122.07 & 122.07 & 7.63 & 500 & 500 & 125 \\ \hline - Bee venom Bv-2 & 0.48 & 1.91 & 0.48 & 0.12 & \(>\)500 & 7.63 & 7.63 \\ \hline - ether extract & 31.25 & 125 & 125 & 125 & 500 & 500 & 7.63 \\ \hline - methanol extract & 7.81 & 31.25 & 125 & 0.49 & \(>\)500 & 125 & 1.95 \\ \hline \multicolumn{9}{c}{MBC/MFC, ng mL\({}^{-1}\)} \\ \hline Bee venom Bv-1 & 7.63 & 122.07 & 122.07 & 0.48 & \(>\)500 & 488.28 & 122.07 \\ \hline - methanol extract & 488.28 & \(>\)500 & 488.28 & 30.52 & \(>\)500 & \(>\)500 \\ \hline Bee venom Bv-2 & 1.91 & 1.91 & 1.91 & 0.48 & \(>\)500 & 30.52 & 30.52 \\ \hline - methanol extract & 31.25 & 31.25 & 500 & 30.52 & \(>\)500 & - & 500 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 4: Antimicrobial activity of bee venom samples and extracts obtained from them.