The Efficiency of the Venoms Extracted from the Oriental Hornet Vespa orientalis L. and the Honey Bee Workers Apis mellifera L. for Oncotherapy

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of the venoms extracted from Apis mellifera and Vespa orientalis, loaded on a convenient nanocarrier on the activity of NF-κB in vitro against liver and breast cancer cell lines. Experimental Methods and Results of the Study: A. Venom Collection and Purification: Carniolan hybrid Egyptian forager honey bee workers (Apis mellifera carnica); and oriental hornets (Vespa orientalis) were employed in the present study. The selected insect colonies were in the age group of 25 – 45 days and were kept in Langstroth's hives. The adult honey bee workers were allowed to feed freely, mostly on pollens (from maize) and nectar (from cotton flowers). The adult hornets were allowed to feed on honey and nectar from selected nearby honey bee rearing cages. The rearing and venom extraction for the honey bees was carried out during the active period from June (2018) to October (2018); while for the oriental hornet, it was performed from September (2018) to early November (2018) to ensure the best potency and collection yield.