Melittin, an antibacterial originally derived from|Apis mellifera|, has been reported to cause apoptosis via induction of reactive oxygen species production in cells. Additionally, this compound has been found to suppress 4α-Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate induced invasion of proliferative cells via inhibition of activator protein-1 and NF-κB. Other experiments show Melittin to be able to also suppress PMA-induced phosphorylation of ERK and JNK mitogen-activated protein kinases. This compound also activates phospholipase A2 (PLA2).