Background: Apis mellifera stings are a problem for public health worldwide, particularly in Latin America due to the aggressiveness of its Africanized honeybees. Massive poisoning by A. mellifera venom (AmV) affects mainly the cardiovascular system, and several works have described its actions on heart muscle. Nevertheless, no work on the pharmacological action mechanisms of the AmV in isolated aorta has been reported. Thus, the present work aimed to investigate the actions of AmV and its main fractions, phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and melittin, on isolated aorta rings and a probable action mechanism.
Results: AmV and the complex PLA2 + melittin (0.1-50 μg/mL) caused contraction in endothelium-containing aorta rings, but neither isolated PLA2 nor melittin were able to reproduce the effect. Endothelium removal did not change the maximum vasoconstrictor effect elicited by AmV. Ca2+-free medium, as well as treatment with phentolamine (5 μM), verapamil (10 μM), losartan (100 μM), and U-73122 (10 μM, a phospholipase C inhibitor), eliminated the AmV-induced contractile effects.
Conclusions: In conclusion, AmV caused contractile effect in aorta rings probably through the involvement of voltage-operated calcium channels, AT1 and α-adrenergic receptors via the downstream activation of phospholipase C. The protein complex, PLA2 + melittin, was also able to induce vasoconstriction, whereas the isolated proteins were not.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3849866 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1678-9199-19-24 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Melittin as a therapeutic agent for rheumatoid arthritis: mechanistic insights, advanced delivery systems, and future perspectives.
Front Immunol
January 2025
Discipline of Medical Biochemistry, School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a condition characterized by joint deterioration through the action of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), is prevalent worldwide. Bee venom (BV) has traditionally been used in Chinese medicine for pain, arthritis, rheumatism, skin diseases, etc. BV is enriched with active substances, notably melittin and phospholipase A2 (PLA2), offering significant therapeutic potential.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImpact of environmental factors on Apis dorsata (giant Asian honeybee) venom in Bandarawela, Sri Lanka.
Toxicon
December 2024
Department of Immunology, Medical Research Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Apis dorsata stings are amongst the most frequent insect-stings in Sri Lanka. A. dorsata venom consists of a mixture of components including PLA, melittin, hyaluronidase and apamin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBee venom as a promising therapeutic strategy in central nervous system diseases.
Neuropeptides
October 2024
Anatomical Sciences Research Center, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
Central nervous system (CNS) disorders are one of the leading health problems today, accounting for a large proportion of global morbidity and mortality. Most these disorders are characterized by high levels of oxidative stress and intense inflammatory responses in degenerated neuronal tissues. While extensive research has been conducted on CNS diseases, but few breakthroughs have been made in treatment methods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMelittin-Phospholipase A Synergism Is Mediated by Liquid-Liquid Miscibility Phase Transition in Giant Unilamellar Vesicles.
Langmuir
April 2024
Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523 United States.
The primary constituents of honeybee venom, melittin and phospholipase A (PLA), display toxin synergism in which the PLA activity is significantly enhanced by the presence of melittin. It has been shown previously that this is accomplished by the disruption in lipid packing, which allows PLA to become processive on the membrane surface. In this work, we show that melittin is capable of driving miscibility phase transition in giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) and that it raises the miscibility transition temperature () in a concentration-dependent manner.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBee Venom: Composition and Anticancer Properties.
Toxins (Basel)
February 2024
Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Latvia, 1004 Riga, Latvia.
Among the various natural compounds used in alternative and Oriental medicine, toxins isolated from different organisms have had their application for many years, and venom has been studied the most extensively. Numerous studies dealing with the positive assets of bee venom (BV) indicated its beneficial properties. The usage of bee products to prevent the occurrence of diseases and for their treatment is often referred to as apitherapy and is based mainly on the experience of the traditional system of medical practice in diverse ethnic communities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!