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Apis mellifera anatoliaca Venom Exerted Anti-Inflammatory Activity on LPS-Stimulated Mammalian Macrophages by Reducing the Production of the Inflammatory Cytokines

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Abstract

Extraction and characterization of natural products provide the opportunity to expand our arsenal of drug candidates against a wide range of diseases including cancer and inflammatory disorders. Previous studies have shown bee venom to have immense potential as an anti-inflammatory drug candidate. In this study, we focused on the venom of Apis mellifera anatoliaca and characterized its content by HPLC. An in vitro inflammation model based on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated mammalian macrophages was utilized to examine the venom’s anti-inflammatory potential. Additionally, its antiproliferative activity was evaluated in vitro against a human glioblastoma cell line. Based on the TNF, IL6, GMCSF, and IL12p40 pro-inflammatory cytokine production level in LPS-induced macrophages, venom-treated groups showed substantial decrease in the inflammatory action compared to untreated LPS-stimulated macrophages. When the cells were analyzed for viability, the venom did not have any cytotoxic effect on the macrophages at the concentration ranges that were utilized. Moreover, IC50 value of the venom was above 60 µg/mL on glioblastoma cancer cell line. These results suggest that the Apis mellifera anatoliaca venom does not have anticancer drug candidate potential, whereas it can efficiently be used against inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. To our knowledge, this is the first study to specifically examine the effect of anti-inflammatory activity of Apis mellifera anatoliaca venom on macrophages.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey

    Sedat Sevin & Recep Uyar

  2. Muğla Vocational School Department of Chemistry and Chemical Treatment Technologies, MuğlaSıtkıKoçman University, Muğla, Turkey

    İbrahim Kivrak

  3. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Burdur Mehmet AkifErsoy University, Burdur, Turkey

    Hidayet Tutun

  4. Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Arts and Science, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey

    Furkan Ayaz

  5. Mersin University Biotechnology Research and Application Center, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey

    Furkan Ayaz

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  1. Sedat Sevin
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. S.S. and H.T. provided bee venom. R.U., S.S., and H.T performed cell viability test. I.K. performed component analysis. Biological analysis and data collection were performed by F.A. The first draft of the manuscript was written by F.A, and HT helped shape the manuscript with support from RU and FA. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Furkan Ayaz.

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Sevin, S., Kivrak, İ., Tutun, H. et al. Apis mellifera anatoliaca Venom Exerted Anti-Inflammatory Activity on LPS-Stimulated Mammalian Macrophages by Reducing the Production of the Inflammatory Cytokines. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 195, 3194–3205 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-022-04284-x

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