The aim of this study was to compare the anti-inflammatory effect of wasp venom (WV) from the yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina) with that of bee venom (BV) on BV-2 murine microglial cells. WV was collected from the venom sac, freeze-dried, and used for in vitro examinations. WV and BV were non-toxic to BV-2 cells at concentrations of 160 and 12 µg/mL or lower, respectively. Treatment with WV reduced the secretion of nitric oxide and proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha, from BV-2 cells activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Western blot analysis revealed that WV and BV decreased the expression levels of inflammation markers, including inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2. In addition, WV decreased the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), which is a key transcription factor in the regulation of cellular inflammatory response. Cumulatively, the results demonstrated that WV inhibited LPS-induced neuroinflammation in microglial cells by suppressing the NF-κB-mediated signaling pathway, which warrants further studies to confirm its therapeutic potential for neurodegenerative diseases.

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Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease, is characterized by progressive and irreversible impairment of cognitive functions. However, its etiology is poorly understood, and therapeutic interventions are limited. Our preliminary study revealed that wasp venom (WV) from Vespa velutina nigrithorax can prevent lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory signaling, which is strongly implicated in AD pathogenesis. Therefore, we examined whether WV administration can ameliorate major AD phenotypes in the 5xFAD transgenic mouse model. Adult 5xFAD transgenic mice (6.5 months of age) were treated with WV by intraperitoneal injection at 250 or 400 μg/kg body weight once weekly for 14 consecutive weeks. This administration regimen improved procedural, spatial, and working memory deficits as assessed by the passive avoidance, Morris water maze, and Y-maze tasks, respectively. It also attenuated histological damage and amyloid-beta plaque formation in the hippocampal region and decreased expression levels of pro-inflammatory factors in the hippocampus and cerebrum, while it reduced oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde in the brain and liver and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine in the plasma). Overall, these findings suggest that long-term administration of WV may alleviate AD-related symptoms and pathological phenotypes.

Ceriporia lacerata (provided from FUGENBIO Co., Ltd., Seoul, S. Korea) is one of white‐rot fungi. The submerged culture and its extract of the fungal mycelia have been reported to contain various bioactive substances, including extracellular polysaccharide and β‐glucan, and to exert the anti‐diabetic effect in mice. Our in vitro study showed that the ethanol extract of C. lacerata mycelial culture powder protected HT22 mouse hippocampal neuronal cells from glutamate‐induced cytotoxicity. The present study aimed at examining whether oral supplementation of the cultured C. lacerata mycelia assists the restoration of learning and memory capability diminished by scopolamine injection in C57BL/6 mice. Results exhibited that the treatment with C. lacerata mycelial culture powder (□) improved spatial learning and memory impairment in scopolamine‐injected mice as tested by behavioral tests (Y‐maze task, Passive avoidance task, and Morris water maze task), (□) reduced histological damage in the hippocampal CA1 region, (□) increased the expression level of cytoplasmic heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) in hippocampal tissue homogenates, and (□) decreased the levels of oxidative stress markers in the plasma, in comparison to mice treated with scopolamine alone. These findings suggest that oral supplementation of C. lacerata mycelial culture powder could prevent scopolamine‐induced learning and memory deficit possibly by protecting hippocampal damage from oxidative stress. Support or Funding Information This work was supported by the “Food Functionality Evaluation Program” with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (2019).