Australian scientists say the venom from honeybees has been found to destroy aggressive breast cancer cells in a lab setting.
The venom – and a compound in it called melittin – were used against two cancer types which are hard to treat: triple-negative and HER2-enriched.
The discovery has been described as “exciting”, but scientists caution that further testing is needed.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women around the world.
While there are thousands of chemical compounds which can fight cancer cells in a lab setting, scientists say there are few which can be produced as treatment for humans.
Bee venom has previously been found to have anti-cancer properties for other types of cancer such as melanoma.
The study by the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research in Western Australia was published in Nature Precision Oncology, a peer-reviewed journal.
Source: BBC News
Image: GETTY IMAGES
