Effect of Honey Bee Venom (Apis mellifera) on Hyperglycemia and Hyperlipidemia in Alloxan Induced Diabetic Rabbits

Abstract Background Honey bee venom contains various enzymes with wide medical and pharmaceutical applications. Results The phospholipase A2 (PLA2) has been apparently purified from the venom of Egyptian honey bee (Apis mellifera lamarckii) 8.9-fold to a very high specific activity of 6033 U/mg protein using DEAE–cellulose and Sephacryl S-300 columns. The purified bee venom PLA2 is monomeric 16 kDa protein and has isoelectric point (pI) of 5.9. The optimal activity of bee venom PLA2 was attained at pH 8 and 45 °C. Cu2+, Ni2+, Fe2+, Ca2+, and Co2+ exhibited a complete activating effect on it, while Zn2+, Mn2+, NaN3, PMSF, N-Methylmaleimide, and EDTA have inhibitory effect. Conclusions The purified bee venom PLA2 exhibited anti-platelet aggregation and anti-coagulation activities which makes it promising agent for developing novel anti-clot formation drugs in future.

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Honey Bee Venom (Apis mellifera) Contains Anticoagulation Factors and Increases the Blood-clotting Time

Journal of Pharmacopuncture ◽

10.3831/kpi.2015.18.031 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 7-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Hossein Zolfagharian ◽

Mohammad Mohajeri ◽

Mahdi Babaie

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Blood Clotting ◽

Bee Venom ◽

Clotting Time ◽

Blood Clotting Time

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Towards abolition of immunogenic structures in insect cells: characterization of a honey-bee (Apis mellifera) multi-gene family reveals both an allergy-related core α1,3-fucosyltransferase and the first insect Lewis-histo-blood-group-related antigen-synthesizing enzyme

Biochemical Journal ◽

10.1042/bj20060964 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 402 (1) ◽

pp. 105-115 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Dubravko Rendić ◽

Jaroslav Klaudiny ◽

Ute Stemmer ◽

Julia Schmidt ◽

Katharina Paschinger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Bee Venom ◽

Cloning And Expression ◽

Biochemical Assays ◽

Venom Glands ◽

Insect Cell Lines ◽

The Brain

Glycoproteins from honey-bee (Apis mellifera), such as phospholipase A2 and hyaluronidase, are well-known major bee-venom allergens. They carry N-linked oligosaccharide structures with two types of α1,3-fucosylation: the modification by α1,3-fucose of the innermost core GlcNAc, which constitutes an epitope recognized by IgE from some bee-venom-allergic patients, and an antennal Lewis-like GalNAcβ1,4(Fucα1,3)GlcNAc moiety. We now report the cloning and expression of two cDNAs encoding the relevant active α1,3-FucTs (α1,3-fucosyltransferases). The first sequence, closest to that of fruitfly (Drosophila melanogaster) FucTA, was found to be a core α1,3-FucT (EC 2.4.1.214), as judged by several enzyme and biochemical assays. The second cDNA encoded an enzyme, most related to Drosophila FucTC, that was shown to be capable of generating the Lex [Galβ1-4(Fucα1-3)GlcNAc] epitope in vitro and is the first Lewis-type α1,3-FucT (EC 2.4.1.152) to be described in insects. The transcription levels of these two genes in various tissues were examined: FucTA was found to be predominantly expressed in the brain tissue and venom glands, whereas FucTC transcripts were detected at highest levels in venom and hypopharyngeal glands. Very low expression of a third homologue of unknown function, FucTB, was also observed in various tissues. The characterization of these honey-bee gene products not only accounts for the observed α1,3-fucosylation of bee-venom glycoproteins, but is expected to aid the identification and subsequent down-regulation of the FucTs in insect cell lines of biotechnological importance.

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Chemical, Cytotoxic, and Anti-Inflammatory Assessment of Honey Bee Venom from Apis mellifera intermissa

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics10121514 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 1514

Author(s):

Iouraouine El Mehdi ◽

Soraia I. Falcão ◽

Mustapha Harandou ◽

Saïd Boujraf ◽

Ricardo C. Calhelha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Bee Venom ◽

Inflammatory Activity ◽

Breast Adenocarcinoma ◽

Compositional Variation ◽

Cell Lung Carcinoma ◽

Natural Medicine ◽

Apis Mellifera Intermissa ◽

Anti Inflammatory

The venom from Apis mellifera intermissa, the main honey bee prevailing in Morocco, has been scarcely studied, despite its known potential for pharmacological applications. In the present work, we investigated the composition, the anti-inflammatory activity, and the venom’s cytotoxic properties from fifteen honey bee venom (HBV) samples collected in three regions: northeast, central, and southern Morocco. The chemical assessment of honey bee venom was performed using LC-DAD/ESI/MSn, NIR spectroscopy and AAS spectroscopy. The antiproliferative effect was evaluated using human tumor cell lines, including breast adenocarcinoma, non-small cell lung carcinoma, cervical carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and malignant melanoma. Likewise, we assessed the anti-inflammatory activity using the murine macrophage cell line. The study provides information on the honey bee venom subspecies’ main components, such as melittin, apamin, and phospholipase A2, with compositional variation depending on the region of collection. Contents of toxic elements such as cadmium, chromium, and plumb were detected at a concentration below 5 ppm, which can be regarded as safe for pharmaceutical use. The data presented contribute to the first study in HBV from Apis mellifera intermissa and highlight the remarkable antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory effects of HBV, suggesting it to be a candidate natural medicine to explore.

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