Physiological and Histological Studies on the Effect of Melittin on Mice Jejunum

Melittin is a major polypeptide in honey bee venom that has been usedtraditionally against chronic inflammation and cancer. The aim of this work is study theeffect of melittin on the mice jejunum from the physiological and histological points,then determine the safe dosage and duration on cells and tissues. Adult male mice(Albino Swiss) were divided into two groups (7 mice for each group): control group andmelittin only treated group (10 and 40 µg/kg). The samples from the jejunum were collectedand prepared for histological and physiological studies. Melittin has no cytotoxic effects,where the alcian blue stained sectioned showed the normal distribution of the mucoussecreting cells and the levels of IL-1b in the jejunum mice treated with melittin (10 or 40µg/kg) for 3 or 5 days were closed to control, whereas these levels were significantlydecreased compared to control after treated for 10 days for each doses. These studiessuggest that the using of melittin in small doses and short duration were safe and don’tcause any toxic effects on the jejunum tissue. Therefore, melittin might be effective intreatment of gastrointestinal diseases.