Effect of Bee venom on VEGF-A expression in HL-60 cell line

Research indicates that bee venom has potent anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and anticancer. Angiogenesis or new blood vessel formation, which is required for embryonic development and many physiological events, plays a crucial role in many pathological conditions such as tumor growth. One of the main genes which is involved in the process of angiogenesis is VEGF-A. In this in vitro study, the effects of Bee venom extract on VEGF-A expression were examined.
In this experimental study, HL-60 cells were grown in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) and incubated at 37˚C with 5% CO2. After 24 h of cell culture, they were treated by the Bee venom at concentrations of 2, 4, 8 and 10 µg/ml. 48 hours after treatment, total RNA was extracted and cDNA was synthesized using the sequence of target gene. Finally, the synthesized products were analysed by Real Time PCR to determine the expression level of VEGF-A.
The results of data analysis showed the inhibitory effect of Bee venom in concentrations of 2, 4, 8 and 10 µg/ml on VEGF-A expression in HL-60 cells in comparison with control group, indicating the highest reduction of gen expression for the highest concentration of Bee venom (10 µg/ml).
Results indicated a decrease in the expression of VEGF-A, specific biomarker of angiogenesis, in the treated samples compared to the control group.