Exploring the therapeutic potential of honeybee venom in mitigating diabetic reproductive complications: insights from in vitro and in vivo studies in rats
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5380/avs.v31i1.101661Palavras-chave:
Honeybee venom, diabetes, oxidative stress, sperm motility, antioxidant activity.Resumo
Diabetes mellitus impairs male reproductive health through oxidative stress–mediated pathways. This study investigated the antioxidant capacity and reproductive effects of honeybee venom (apitoxin) in diabetic male rats. The in vitro antioxidant activity of bee venom showed a DPPH radical scavenging rate of 76.85 ± 1.55%, close to that of ascorbic acid (79.29 ± 1.82%, P < 0.001), and a metal chelating activity of 91.69 ± 2.55% (P = 0.227). For in vivo evaluation, streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats (n = 6/group) were assigned to control (C), apitoxin-treated (A), diabetic (D), and diabetic + apitoxin (DA) groups for 28 days. Diabetic rats exhibited markedly decreased sperm motility (61.4 ± 6.9%) compared to C (78.6 ± 3.8%) and A (82.9 ± 4.9%) (P = 0.007), whereas apitoxin treatment in DA rats improved motility to 77.1 ± 7.6%. Epididymal, vesicular, and prostatic weights were reduced in diabetic groups (P < 0.01). Oxidative stress was evident with elevated MDA in D (49.3 ± 31.1 nmol/mg protein) versus DA (27.7 ± 4.4) and C (29.0 ± 3.0) (P = 0.023), while GSH was significantly higher in DA (54.4 ± 18.4 μmol/mg protein) compared to D (35.2 ± 4.2) (P = 0.006). Overall, honeybee venom ameliorated diabetes-induced oxidative damage and improved sperm quality through redox modulation. These findings highlight its potential as a natural therapeutic agent against diabetic reproductive complications.
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