Bee Venom Lowers Blood Glucose Levels

Effect of Honey Bee Venom (Apis mellifera) on Hyperglycemia and
Hyperlipidemia in Alloxan Induced Diabetic Rabbits

J Diabetes Metab 2015, 6:3

Introduction: In diabetes therapy, a great attention is paid on lowering blood glucose levels and lipid regulating mechanisms of various medical agents including animal toxins. Honey bee venom reduces blood glucose level through increased insulin secretion and glucose take-up. It also has lipid regulating activity verified in several other studies. For that reason, bee venom could be considered as a potential remedy for diabetes. This study aims to investigate the effect of Mongolian honey bee venom on hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia in alloxan induced diabetic rabbits.

Material and method: Twenty two Chinchilla rabbits were divided into three groups: the control (n=6), the diabetic (n=8), and the bee venom treated (n=8) groups. The diabetic group was injected with a 5% solution of Alloxan monohydrate at100 mg/kg intravenously via the marginal vein behind the ear for 2 minutes to induce the diabetes. The bee venom treated group received a bee sting (a sting contains 0.2-0.5 ml of bee venom) on their hind paw every other day after the confirmation of diabetes.

Result: Bee venom treatment (BVT) led to the following changes: compared to the diabetic group, the bee venom treated group’s blood glucose levels decreased by 14.9% -26.5%; blood cholesterol levels reduced by 12.5%- 19.1%; Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) levels lowered by 11.2%-14.2%; and High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) levels increased by 2.5% - 26.25%.

Conclusion: Bee venom lowers blood glucose levels and improves lipid profile in alloxan-induced diabetic rabbits and can be considered as a therapeutic agent for diabetes. Further studies should be carried out to determine the most appropriate bee venom dose for the best therapeutic effect.