Chemical and biological studies of Portuguese Bee venom

• Autor(a) principal: Dias, Miguel Luís Sousa
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10198/29208
• topic: Bee venom; Control of apitoxin; Domínio/Área Científica::Engenharia e Tecnologia::Outras Engenharias e Tecnologias

This research aimed to develop analytical methodologies for the quality control of apitoxin, as well as evaluating its biological activities. A spectrophotometer method was established to estimate the total protein content, equivalent to albumin, in the apitoxin samples. Its advantage lies in preserving sample integrity. Additionally, electrochemical methodologies were developed, allowing confirmation that apitoxin lacks antioxidant activity and implementing quality control measures for four heavy metals (Zn, Cd, Pb, and Cu). The antimicrobial activity of the five apitoxin samples revealed bactericidal action against all tested strains of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, except for Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains, which remained unaffected. Among the samples, Sample 1 exhibited the lowest MIC values (9.2 µg/mL) against Staphylococcus aureus, meaning that this bacteria was the most sensitive to the negative effects of apitoxine. The highest MIC (41.8 µg/mL) was observed against a strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae in the presence of Sample 5, denoting increased resistance to apitoxin. Portuguese apitoxin demonstrated significant inhibitory effects against various enzymes: xanthine oxidase (IC50 values ranged between 1.7± 0.4 and 6.3± 0.85 μg/mL), lipase (IC50 values ranged from 0.05 ± 0.01µg/mL to 0.16 ±0, 0.03 μg/mL), α-amylase (IC50 values between 0.08 ± 0.02 and 0.4 ± 0.12 μg/mL), α-glucosidase (IC50 values between 0.03 ± 0.01 and 0.14 ± 0.01 μg/mL), lipoxygenase (IC50 values in the range of 0.06± 0.01 to 0.25± 0.04 μg /mL), acetylcholinesterase (IC50 values ranged from 0.78 ± 0.2 to 3.75 ± 0.2 μg/mL), tyrosinase (IC50 values between 1.6 ± 0.1 to 4.8 ± 0.24 μg/mL), and hyaluronidase (inhibition percentage between 85±5.4 % and 75.0±3.3%). In conclusion, apitoxin possesses valuable antimicrobial and enzyme-inhibiting. These findings suggest that apitoxin could hold potential significance in addressing various health conditions and diseases, warranting further scientific investigations due to its potential application in clinical or pharmaceutical settings.