Tarek Rahmy, Abeer Alahmari, Faiza Abdu and Osama Abu-Zinadah
الملخص العربي
The major compound of bee venom, melittin, has been used as an anti-inflammatory reagent for
decades. However, the potential of melittin to ameliorate stomach inflammation is unknown. Our aim was to
investigate the effect of melittin on indomethacin-induced gastrointestinal inflammation. Adult male Albino
mice (Swiss mice strain) were randomly divided into four groups (7 mice each group): control group;
indomethacin-treated group (50 mg/kg) for 1day; melittin treated group (10 or 40 μg/kg) for 3,5 or 10 days; and
melittin/indomethacin treated group. The results of the histological studies showed that the effect of
indomethacin on the stomach tissue of mice included superficial erosion and exfoliation of some epithelial cells
to the gastric lumen, also large areas full of numerous inflammatory cells were seen at the submucosa and
extend to different parts of the lamina properia. Besides the depletion of antibody of epithelial membrane
antigen (EMA) in the stomach tissue. In accordance with the results of in vivo experiments, melittin doses (10
and 40 μg/kg) inhibited histological and immuonohistochemical changes in the stomach during inflammation
induced by indomethacin, where the gastric tissues showed more or less intact mucosal epithelial cells and the
submucosal inflammatory cells were less in number compared to those recorded in the gastric tissues of
indomethacin-treated mice. Also normal histological structures of the gastric glands, the muscularis mucosa, the
muscularisexterna and the serosa were recorded. On other hand, it was showed the reactivity of EMA in the
stomach tissues were reduced under the effect of indomethacin treatment, while melittin restored the reduction
in EMA reactivity induced by indomethacin in tissues, this observed could be attributed to the protective effect
of melittin against the abnormality cases of epithelial cells. In conclusion, these results clearly indicate that
melittin provided protection against indomethacin-induced gastrointestinal inflammation through its ability to
protect the epithelial lining cells of the stomach by suppressing the activity of phospholipase and protease
enzymes which may contribute to the exfoliation and erosion of the mucosal epithelial cell.
عبير الأحمري | Abeer Alahmari | 5459