Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) cause inflammatory
acne and play an important role in the pathogenesis of
acne by inducing inflammatory mediators. P. acnes contributes to the inflammatory responses of
acne by activating inflammatory cells, keratinocytes and sebocytes to secrete pro-inflammatory
cytokines such as
tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α),
interleukin (IL)-1β and
IL-8.
Bee venom has traditionally been used in the treatment of certain immune-related diseases. However, there has not yet been a robust trial to prove the
therapeutic effect of
bee venom in skin
inflammation. The aim of the present study was to investigate anti-inflammatory properties of
bee venom in skin
inflammation induced by P. acnes using keratinocytes (HaCaT) and monocytes (THP-1). P. acnes is known to stimulate the production of pro-inflammatory
cytokines such as
IL-1,
IL-8,
IL-12 and TNF-α. In the present study, the production of
interferon-γ (IFN-γ), IL-1β,
IL-8 and TNF-α was increased by P. acnes treatment in HaCaT and THP-1 cells. By contrast,
bee venom effectively inhibited the secretion of IFN-γ, IL-1β,
IL-8 and TNF-α. Furthermore, P. acnes treatment activated the expression of
IL-8 and
toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) in HaCaT cells. However,
bee venom inhibited the expression of
IL-8 and TLR2 in heat-killed P. acnes. Based on these results, it is concluded that
bee venom has an effective anti-inflammatory activity against P. acnes in HaCaT and THP-1 cells. Therefore, we suggest that
bee venom is an alternative treatment to
antibiotic therapy of
acne.