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Experimental Biology and Medicine
Experimental Biology and Medicine
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Abstract: |
High levels of blood glucose and lipids are well-known risk factors for heart diseases. Bee
venom is a natural product that has a potent hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, antiinflammatory, and antioxidant effects. The current study aimed to determine the bee
venom effects on cardiac dysfunction compared to combined therapy of metformin and
atorvastatin in diabetic hyperlipidemic rats. The median lethal dose of bee venom was
estimated, and then 50 adult male albino rats were categorized into five groups. One
group was fed a standard diet and served as a negative control, while the other groups
were given nicotinamide and streptozotocin injections to induce type 2 diabetes. After
confirming diabetes, the rats were fed a high-fat diet for four weeks. The four groups
were divided as follows: one group served as a positive control, whereas the other three
groups were treated with bee venom (0.5 mg/kg), bee venom (1.23 mg/kg), and combined
therapy of metformin (60 mg/kg) and atorvastatin (10 mg/kg), respectively, for four weeks. Upon termination of the experiment,
blood samples and heart tissue were obtained. Administration of bee venom using both doses (0.5 and 1.23 mg/kg) and combined
therapy of metformin and atorvastatin revealed a significant decrease in the concentrations of glucose, total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, troponin I, creatine kinase, and lactate
dehydrogenase activities. Moreover, a significant decrease had been detedcted in malondialdehyde, nuclear factor-kappa-b
levels, and relative mRNA expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and galectin-3 in heart tissue compared to the positive
control (P < 0.0001). Furthermore, there was a significant increase in bodyweight levels of insulin, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and total antioxidant capacity in heart tissue compared to the positive control (P < 0.0001). The results indicate that bee
venom can ameliorate cardiac dysfunction through attenuating oxidative stress and downregulating the NF-Kb signaling pathway
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