Dermal and ocular irritation studies of honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) venom.

The aim of this study was to access the irritant properties of bee venom (BV) after its application to skin and eye mucous membranes of the rabbit. The animals were also observed for clinical signs and mortality after the application of the test material. Six animals were used for the skin irritation test and nine rabbits for the eye irritation test. The acute BV application to the rabbit skin revealed no appreciable clinical signs throughout the observation period of 72 h and there was no mortality seen. In the eye irritation test, eye reactions were read and graded 24, 48, 72, 96 and 168 h after BV treatment. No changes in the cornea, iris or conjunctivae were observed at all time points of observations. Based on the present findings, it can be concluded that the irritation potential of BV is negligible.