Rediscovery of Apitherapy Mechanisms: A Novel Challenge in Cardiovascular Autonomic Neuropharmacology

Apitherapy is the scientific term which refers to the medical use of honey, bee venom, propolis, royal jelly, bee pollen, beeswax and apilarnil . Bee venom therapy for arthritis, autoimmune and neuro degenerative diseases is the most well - known. Numerous studies supported honey for healing of wounds and burns, and even as an anticancer agent. Moreover, several studies evaluating the cardiovascular effects of honey bee products revealed very promising results, paradoxically, apitherapy is still not in focus with a cardiovascular neuropharmacological viewpoint. In an effort to provide extensive information about the cardiovascular bioactivity of natur al honey, as the major honey bee product, both in terms of familiarity and profit, this review overviews, for the first time; (1) cardioactive and vascoactive effects of natural honey, (2) mechanisms underlying cardioactive and vasoactive potentials of nat ural honey, and (3) how improving our knowledge of the mechanisms mediating protective and ameliorative outcomes of natural honey may lead to novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases? Future challenge remaining will be to p ermit full exploitation of apitherapy potency to expand novel horizons in the cardiovascular autonomic neuropharmacology.