Background: Melittin, the major medicinal component of honeybee venom, exerts antiinflammatory, analgesic, and anti-arthritic effects in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). RA is an inflammatory autoimmune joint disease that leads to irreversible joint destruction and functional loss. Fibroblast-Like Synoviocytes (FLS) are dominant, special mesenchymal cells characterized by the structure of the synovial intima, playing a crucial role in both the initiation and progression of RA.

Objective: In this study, we evaluated the effects of melittin on the viability and apoptosis of FLS isolated from patients with RA.

Methods: Cell viability was determined using CCK-8 assays; apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry, and the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins (caspase-3, caspase-9, BAX, and Bcl-2) were also determined. To explore whether melittin alters inflammatory processes in RA-FLS, IL-1β levels were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Furthermore, we performed GFP-LC3 punctate fluorescence dot assays and western blotting (for LC3, ATG5, p62, and Beclin 1) to assess autophagy in RA-FLS.

Results: Our results show that melittin can significantly impair viability, promote apoptosis and autophagy, and inhibit IL-1β secretion in RA-FLS.

Conclusion: Melittin may be useful in preventing damage to the joints during accidental local stimulation.

背景：蜂毒的主要药物成分蜂毒素对类风湿关节炎（RA）的患者具有抗炎，镇痛和抗关节炎作用。RA是一种炎症性自身免疫性关节疾病，可导致不可逆的关节破坏和功能丧失。类成纤维细胞滑膜细胞（FLS）是主要的，特殊的间充质细胞，以滑膜内膜的结构为特征，在RA的发生和发展中起着至关重要的作用。

目的：在这项研究中，我们评估了蜂毒肽对分离自RA患者的FLS活力和凋亡的影响。

方法：使用CCK-8测定细胞活力。通过流式细胞术评估细胞凋亡，并确定细胞凋亡相关蛋白（caspase-3，caspase-9，BAX和Bcl-2）的表达水平。为了探索蜂毒肽是否会改变RA-FLS中的炎症过程，使用酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）确定了IL-1β的水平。此外，我们进行了GFP-LC3点状荧光点测定和Western blotting（对于LC3，ATG5，p62和Beclin 1），以评估RA-FLS中的自噬。

结果：我们的结果表明，蜂毒肽可显着损害RA-FLS的生存力，促进细胞凋亡和自噬并抑制IL-1β分泌。

结论：蜂毒肽可能有助于预防意外的局部刺激过程中对关节的损害。