Study of melittin histamine-liberating properties, obtained from the domestic bee venom
O.V. Mislavsky¹, T.G. Fedoskova^1,2, D.V. Shabanov^1,3, A.I. Martynov¹, S.R. Mashtakova¹, E.D. Golovkina<sup>1

1</sup>National Research Center — Institute of Immunology, Moscow
²Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow
³Yevdokimov Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry

Aim: to study melittin histamine-liberating properties, obtained from bee venom of the domestic manufacturer.
Patients and Methods: the study of melittin histamine-liberating properties, obtained from bee venom purified extracts — the raw of the company “Apis” LLC, was carried out according to the method for determining the histamine release from rat mast cells. The work was carried out using the mast cells received from the peritoneal fluid of male Wistar rats. Melittin was tested at concentrations of 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2.5, 5 and 10 mg/ml. Melittin obtained from the bee venom of the company Sigma was taken as a reference drug. The melittin samples used in the work were received using chromatographic separation, gel filtration by FPLC Pharmacia Biotech medium pressure chromatographic system, and Superdex 75HR column calibrated by molecular weight.
Results: it was revealed that melittins, obtained from the bee venoms of the “Apis” LLC and Sigma companies, did not significantly differ among themselves by their dose-dependent effect on the histamine release from mast cells. It has been established that melittin causes the histamine release from mast cells of less than 10% in concentrations from 0.1 to 0.25 mg/ml. Conducted study tests revealed that the melittin concentrations 5 and 10 mg/ml are the most toxic for mast cells. The ninhydrin inhibitory effect study on the histamine release from mast cells, caused by melittin, showed the ability to reduce the melittin toxic effect on mast cells under the inhibitor action of free NH₂-groups. The ninhydrin inhibitory effect on the histamine release from mast cells was detected in concentrations of 0.001 and 0.0001 M.
Conclusion: the authors of the study showed the same dose dependence of the melittin histamine-liberating action from domestic raw bee venom and melittin from Sigma bee venom, which will allow us to investigate melittin from the bee venom of the domestic manufacturer.

Keywords: insect allergy, honey bee, Apis mellifera, bee venom, melittin, target cells, allergy, mast cells, histamine, ninhydrin.
For citation: Mislavsky O.V., Fedoskova T.G., Shabanov D.V. et al. Study of melittin histamine-liberating properties, obtained from the domestic bee venom. RMJ. 2019;1(II):47–50.