Antifungal and antibiofilm activities of bee venom loaded on chitosan nanoparticles: a novel approach for combating fungal human pathogens

Abstract

The prevalence of opportunistic human fungal pathogens is increasing worldwide, and antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest medical challenges the world faces. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a novel agent to control fungal pathogens. The honeybee products (honey, royal jelly, propolis, bee bread, and bee venom) were screened against unicellular fungal (UCF) pathogens (Cryptococcus neoformans, Kodamaea ohmeri, and Candida albicans) and the bee venom was only exhibited an inhibitory effect against them. The protein contents of crude bee venom were separated using the gel filtration technique into eight fractions which were visualized on sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) to confirm the presence of five bands with molecular weights of 65, 43, 21, 15, and 3 KDa. Bee venom (BV) of Apis mellifera loaded chitosan nanoparticles were prepared by the ionotropic gelation method. The encapsulation efficiency%, average size, zeta potentials, and surface appearance by Transmission electron microscope (TEM) were evaluated for the prepared nanoparticles. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of crude BV and BV loaded chitosan nanoparticles (BV-CNPs) was evaluated against the offer mentioned UCF where the MIC values of crude BV were 6.25, 3.12 & 6.25 while MIC values in the case of BV-CNPs were decreased to 3.12, 3.12 & 1.56 mg/ml against C. neoformans, K. ohmeri and C. albicans, respectively. Also, the results showed that BV-CNPs suppressed the biofilm formation as well as yeast to hyphal transition formed by the examined UCF. These results revealed that BV-CNPs are a promising natural compound for fungal pathogens treatment. Graphical abstract

Bee chitosan nanoparticles loaded with apitoxin as a novel approach to eradication of common human bacterial, fungal pathogens and treating cancer

“…Figure 2H depicts the mean diameter of particle size distribution. These results were in agreement with those of Taher et al (2017) and El-Didamony et al (2022). It was discovered that the chitosan nanoparticles had a spherical form and that there was a layer around the center of the nanoparticles that included nanoparticles loaded with bee venom.…”

“…This may be due to the antioxidants in Api, which may regulate the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROSs) in fungi, followed by damage to the fungus's lipids, proteins, and DNA; cell death may occur when this balance of components is upset inside the fungal cell (Ratajczak et al, 2021). El-Didamony et al (2022) found that bee venom had a substantial inhibiting impact against C. albicans ATCC 90023, Candida neoformans, and Kodamaea ohmeri, and they The inhibition zone (A) different pathogenic bacteria strains E. faecalis, S. aureus, S. hominis, E. coli, K. pneumonia, and A. baumannii. (B) C. auris and A. niger against by Api, ChB NPs, and Api@ChB NPs.…”

“…These investigations have revealed multiple molecular mechanisms through which BV and its components exhibit potential anticancer properties and cytotoxic agents with a broad spectrum of activity against different types of tumor cells (Oršolić, 2012;Gajski and Garaj-Vrhovac, 2013;Aufschnaiter et al, 2020). Additionally, the use of chitosan nanoparticles as carriers and enhancers for various animal venoms, including snake (PoMohammadur Dounighi et al, 2015), scorpion (Fouda et al, 2023), and bees (El-Didamony et al, 2022), was shown to be effective in their assessment as potential anticancer agents. In regards this study aimed to extract chitosan nanoparticles from the exoskeletons of dead bees (ChB NPs) for use as a novel drug-delivery system that might be effective against human fungal and bacterial pathogens.…”

Antimicrobial and Antiproliferative Activity of Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles Using Bee Bread Extracts

“…Bee products such as propolis, bee bread, pollen, honey, royal jelly, or bee venom are regarded as promising sources of antioxidants as they are rich in bioactive compounds such as flavonoids (e.g., kaempferol, quercetin, naringenin) as well as phenolic compounds, including derivatives of cinnamic and benzoic acid [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. The therapeutic impact of bee products has been predominantly associated with the plant species and geographic origin of their beehives [ 13 , 31 ].…”

Antimicrobial Activity of Apis mellifera Bee Venom Collected in Northern Peru

“…For Lyme disease, the melittin present in the venom showed in vitro antibacterial effects against the causative agent Borrelia burgdorferi [ 44 ] and even had significant antibacterial effects against E. coli , S. aureus , and Salmonella typhyimurium [ 45 ]. Melittin also exhibited antibacterial activity against MRSA strains [ 46 ], with antimicrobial potential against agents that cause dental caries, with antifungal capacity including suppression of biofilm formation [ 47 , 48 ]. Its significant antiviral potential has also been demonstrated in in vitro and in vivo assays on different enveloped (Influenza A) and non-enveloped (enterovirus-71) viruses [ 49 ].…”