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Natural toxins have been traditionally used to trigger several diseases among which bee venom (HBV) is of great importance. The present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of honeybee venom (HBV) on alloxan and glucose fluid-induced Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Therefore, a total of 20 adult laboratory male mice (Mus musculus) were selected, acclimated, and divided into four equal groups (n=5). Initially, 15 mice were fasted for 12 hrs and injected with alloxan at a single dose of 150 mg/kg of body weight. The animals were exposed to drinking glucose fluid in the morning for 4 days. Then, the blood glucose was measured. The studied animals having blood glucose of £200 mg/dl were considered non-diabetic and re-subjected to injecting alloxan (150 mg/kg body weight) and drinking glucose fluid for another 4 days. Four groups of mice population included, Group 1: non-diabetic and untreated with HBV, Group 2: diabetic and received no HBV as the potential therapeutic agent, Group 3: diabetic and received a low level of HBV at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg, Group 4: diabetic and received a high level of HBV at a dose of 1 mg/kg. At the end of the 35-day testing period, blood samples were tested to determine the levels of insulin, glucose, and lipid profiles [cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)] using Sandwich ELISA kits. The results indicated a significant increase in blood glucose in the diabetic group compared to that of the control one, while both concentrations of HBV significantly reduced the level of blood glucose compared to that of the diabetic group. Furthermore, the level of insulin was significantly decreased in the diabetic group compared to that of the controls, while HBV significantly increased the level of insulin compared to that of the diabetic group. Moreover, the diabetic mice demonstrated a significant increase in the concentration of cholesterol and TG compared to that of control mice which were significantly reversed in response to HBV treatment. The level of HDL was significantly decreased in the diabetic group compared to that of the control group which was modulated by treatment, while no significant differences were seen between all the studied groups regarding the level of LDL. Histological examination of diabetic mice revealed a significant alteration in acinar cells and destruction of b-cells of pancreatic sections with marked lacerations in the liver extended to all structures of the organ. The present study concluded that HBV could be a potential therapeutic agent to prevent and manage diabetes and its complication.

Ulcerative colitis is a common type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between lipid profile, especially high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and malondialdehyde (MDA) level in patients with ulcerative colitis.
In this study, 45 patients with ulcerative colitis were selected, 25 of whom were diagnosed with active disease and 20 were in clinical remission. Moreover, 45 healthy subjects were selected as the controls. The status of serum lipid profile and MDA level were measured via precise photometric methods. The obtained data were analyzed, using independent t-test and correlation coefficient test. P The serum level of HDL-C decreased, while the serum level of MDA significantly increased in patients with ulcerative colitis in comparison with the healthy controls (P The inverse correlation between HDL-C and MDA levels can be regarded as an indicator of the protective role of HDL-C against lipid peroxidation in ulcerative colitis. In patients with ulcerative colitis, the serum level of HDL-C decreased in comparison with healthy subjects. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the HDL-C level in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Disorders in Lipid production are one of the most common problems associated with diabetes seen in approximately 40% of patients. In this study, the effects of alcoholic extract of Alhagi maurorum on the serum levels of lipids in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats are investigated. For the purpose of this experimental research, 42 male Wistar rats were divided in 6 Groups of seven: the control, diabetic sham and 4 experimental groups. Diabetic sham received 70 mg/kg Streptozotocin once at the beginning of the experiment; the experimental groups 1 and 2 daily received 250 and 500 mg/kg Alhagi maurorum alcoholic extract respectively; the experimental groups 3 and 4 first received Streptozotocin once, and then a daily dose of 250 and 500 mg/kg extract. Oral administration of alcoholic extract continued over a period of two months. 48 hours after the last administration, blood samples were prepared and used for measurement of serum levels of triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol. Serum levels of triglyceride and LDL Cholesterol in the diabetic sham compared to the control group showed a significant increase (p<0.05). On the other hand, serum levels of triglyceride and LDL cholesterol in the experimental group 2 (500 mg/kg extract) compared to the control group demonstrated a significant decrease (p<0.05). Also, serum total cholesterol concentration in the experimental group 1 (250 mg/kg extract) compared to the control group indicated a significant reduction, while HDL cholesterol increased significantly in this group (p<0.05). A significant decrease was observed in the serum levels of triglyceride and LDL cholesterol in the experimental group 4 in comparison with diabetic sham, whereas concentration of HDL cholesterol in experimental Group 3 increased significantly (p<0.05).Due to itsantioxidant properties, alcoholic extract of Alhagi maurorum can reduce Streptozotocin toxicity leading to an improvement in Serum lipid profiles of diabetic patients.