Low semen quality and adverse histological changes in testes of adult male mice treated with bee venom (Apis mellifera)

Abstract

Background: Male infertility has been on the rise since the past seven decades. Recently, in Libya, bee venom therapy (BVT) has become a popular method among alternative healthcare practitioners for treating male infertility. However, a literature search did not find any published studies that investigated the use of BVT for infertility treatment.
 Aim: To investigate the effect of bee venom on the male reproductive status through measurements of semen quality parameters and testicular histological changes in adult male mice.
 Methods: A total of 48 male mice were randomly divided into three experimental groups (which were subdivided into two subgroups with eight mice each) as follows: control, bee venom sting (BVS), and bee venom injection (BVI). The normal control subgroup mice were not subjected to any treatment, while the vehicle control subgroup mice were injected (i.p.) with 200 μl of 0.9% saline solution. In the BVS-treated subgroups, each mouse was stung by one live bee for five times (BVS-5) or seven times (BVS-7) every third day for 2 or 3 weeks. While each mouse in the BVI-treated subgroups received 23 μg/kg in a dose volume of 200 μl BVIs (i.p.) for five times (BVI-5) or seven times (BVI-7) every third day for 15 or 21 days.
 Results: The findings of this study showed that repeated bee venom treatment by sting or injection to adult male mice resulted in a significant decline in testosterone levels, sperm count, sperm motility, and a very significant increase in the percentage of abnormal sperm morphology; also, there were harmful testicular histological changes in the structural organization of seminiferous tubules and degenerative changes in the germinal epithelium compared to control group.
 Conclusion: The results of this study provide evidence for the low semen quality and adverse testicular histological changes in male mice treated with bee venom. Hence, there is a desperate need for educating alternative healthcare practitioners and infertile couples about the harmful effects of BVT on reproductive status.

Effect of honey bee venom on the histological changes of testes and hormonal disturbance in diabetic mice

“…In contrast, BV might increase antioxidant enzyme activity and inhibit oxidation involved in scavenging the high level of ROS and improving the testicular alterations [47]. Furthermore, a study conducted by Regeai et al [48] showed the toxic and destructive effect of BV on testicular tissue; however, the study used normal animals and short duration. The results of this study highlighted the potential therapeutic effect of BV in male infertility.…”

“…The previous study has determined the potential role of BV in ameliorating diabetic condition and their consequences. Only a single study assessed the adverse cytotoxic effect of BV on semen quality in healthy normal mice with a short duration of treatment [48]. In contrast, this study was conducted in alloxan-induced diabetic mice using two BV concentrations for 35 days.…”

Harnessing the power of bee venom for therapeutic and regenerative medical applications: an updated review

“…Infertility in men is triggered by changes in sperm quantity, movement, and/or shape that are found in collected samples. Recent research suggests that bee products may have preventative and therapeutic benefits for health, particularly infertility in men ( Regeai et al, 2021 ; Suleiman et al, 2021 ).…”

Pharmacological properties and therapeutic potential of honey bee venom

“…Bee venom acupuncture is a highly effective method for the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis ( Hegazi, 2012 , Silva et al, 2015 , Abd El-Wahed et al, 2019 , Chen et al, 2020 ). In a recent study, it was proved that the treatment with bee venom results in reproductive disorders in the mouse model, such as reduction in sperm count, motility of sperm, testosterone level as well as some irregular structural changes in sperm morphology, seminiferous tubules ( Regeai et al, 2021 ). The aim of this study is to summarize the existing knowledge on BV with special emphasis on its various properties and therapeutic potential and suggest of new proposals for future research.…”