The investigation of the effects of apitoxin on oxidant-antioxidant status and some biochemical parameters of experimentally induced diabetic rats

Apitherapy is a treatment modality in experimental studies because of the therapeutic effect of products produced by honey bees. The treatment with bee venom (apitoxin), a branch of apitherapy, can be used because of the anti-inflammatory activities of the bioactive components of apitoxin. In this study, experimental diabetes-induced metabolic disorders induced by streptozotocin (STZ) in male Wistar Albino rats have been investigated for the response to apitoxin on some biochemical parameters. At the experimental stage, 40 rats with a weight of 200-320 g were used at 3-4 months of age and randomly selected rats were divided into 4 groups. The study was completed in 28 days. Groups were labeled as control (K), apitoxin (A), diabetes (D) and diabetes + apitoxin (DA) with 10 animals per group. K group received intraperitoneal (ip) physiological saline (FTS) during the study period, in group A, the apitoxin dissolved in FTS was applied intraperitoneally at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg, D and DA groups were administered 50 mg/kg single-dose STZ, dissolved in Na-Citrate buffer solution at a pH range of 4-4,5. Blood samples were taken from the tail veins of the subjects after 48 hours and blood glucose levels measured with glucose meter were accepted to be diabetic subjects at 200 mg/dl and above. DA group was administered 0.5 mg/kg dose of apitoxin dissolved in FTS during the study period. During the study, blood samples were taken every week from subjects and fasting blood glucose levels (AKG) were measured with glucometer. At the end of the study, 5-8 ml blood samples were taken from the hearts of the anesthetized subjects by opening the chest cages and transferred to K2EDTA tubes. 0.5-1 ml urine samples were taken from the urinary bladder and transferred to sterile ependorf tubes. Malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH) measurements and hematological analyzes were performed from whole blood. Nitric oxide (NOx), total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), protein carbonyl (PCO), insulin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol VLDL cholesterol levels were measured from plasma. DNA damage level (8-OHdG) was measured from urine samples. Apitoxin was associated with an increase in insulin secretion and a lowering effect on AKG in diabetic subjects (p<0.05). While the effect of apitoxin had increasing effect on MDA, NOx, PCO, 8-OhdG, AST, ALT, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels, it was found that it had a decreasing effect on GSH and TAS levels (p<0.05). Leukocyte (WBC), platelet (PLT), platelet percentage (PCT) and platelet distribution width (PDW) levels were normalized (p<0.05). As a result, the effect of apitoxin dose used in this study on oxidative stress parameters were observed to be negative, while insulin, AKG, and some hematological parameters, especially on PLT, were observed to be positive. Based on these findings, the use of apitoxin as an alternative in the treatment of diabetes will develop in the context of the relationship between pathological processes and biochemical parameters that need to be clarified in the future. In addition, elevation of circulating PLT into physiological limits in people with diabetes reveals the possibility that apitoxin may be used as an alternative in patients with diabetes, especially at risk of blood loss in operative procedures.