Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Student Research Committee, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
2 Department of Vector Biology and Control of Disease, School of Public Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
3 Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
4 Department of Venomous Animals and Anti-venom Production, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Ahvaz, Iran
Abstract
Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a complex metabolic disorder characterized by insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency, leading to chronic hyperglycemia. The potential therapeutic applications of scorpion venom have gained attention in recent years, particularly in the context of diabetes management. Therefore, our aim is to investigate the effect of A. crassicauda scorpion venom on biochemical factors of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.
Methods: In this study, diabetes was defined as any blood sugar level over 250 mg/dL in male Wistar rats induced by a single dose of streptozotocin intraperitoneally. The animals were divided into five groups, two of which received scorpion venom. Afterwards, the levels of blood glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoproteins (HDL), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), urea, creatinine, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine transaminase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured. In addition, histopathological changes in the liver and kidneys were assessed using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining.
Results: It was found that Androctonus crassicauda scorpion venom reduced blood sugar. Other biochemical factors were also decreased compared to the diabetic group, and histological analysis showed partial repair of degenerated liver and kidney cells after venom injection compared with diabetic rats not treated with venom.
Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the effect of Androctonus crassicauda scorpion venom on diabetes is positive and reduces diabetic symptoms. Therefore, scorpion venom may be a viable option for managing diabetes in the future.
Keywords
Main Subjects
- Lin X, Xu Y, Pan X, Xu J, Ding Y, Sun X, et al. Global, Regional, and National Burden and Trend of Diabetes in 195 Countries and Territories: An Analysis From 1990 to 2025. Sci Rep. 2020;10(1).
- Mohamed SF, Mwangi M, Mutua MK, Kibachio J, Hussein A, Ndegwa Z, et al. Prevalence and Factors Associated With Pre-Diabetes and Diabetes Mellitus in Kenya: Results From a National Survey. BMC Public Health. 2018;18(S3).
- Nazir MA, AlGhamdi L, Alkadi M, AlBeajan N, AlRashoudi L, AlHussan M. The Burden of Diabetes, Its Oral Complications and Their Prevention and Management. Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2018;6(8):1545-53.
- Khan MA, Hashim M, King J, Govender RD, Mustafa H, Kaabi JA. Epidemiology of Type 2 Diabetes – Global Burden of Disease and Forecasted Trends. J Epidemiol Glob Health. 2019;10(1):107.
- Hostalek U. Global Epidemiology of Prediabetes - Present and Future Perspectives. Clin Diabetes Endocrinol 2019;5(1).
- Huang Y, Cai X, Mai W, Li M, Hu Y. Association Between Prediabetes and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and All Cause Mortality: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. BMJ. 2016:i5953.
- Echouffo‐Tcheugui JB, Narayan KMV, Weisman D, Golden SH, Jaar BG. Association Between Prediabetes and Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis. Diabet Med. 2016;33(12):1615-24.
- Kenny H, Abel ED. Heart Failure in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Circ Res. 2019;124(1):121-41.
- Fan W. Epidemiology in Diabetes Mellitus and Cardiovascular Disease. Cardiovasc Endocrinol. 2017;6(1):8-16.
- Brannick B, Dagogo‐Jack S. Prediabetes and Cardiovascular Disease. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2018;47(1):33-50.
- Zeng XC, Li W, Wang SX, Zhu S, Luo F. Precursor of a Novel Scorpion Venom Peptide (BmKn1) With No Disulfide Bridge From Buthus Martensii Karsch. Iubmb Life. 2001;51(2):117-20.
- Hong W, Li T, Song Y, Zhang R, Zeng Z, Han S, et al. Inhibitory Activity and Mechanism of Two Scorpion Venom Peptides Against Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1. Antiviral Res. 2014;102:1-10.
- Oliveira GHd, Cerni FA, Cardoso IA, Arantes EC, Pucca MB. Tityus Serrulatus Envenoming in Non-Obese Diabetic Mice: A Risk Factor for Severity. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis. 2016;22(1).
- Abdel-Rahman MA, Mohammed AH, Ahmed SH, Binnaser YS, Abdel-Nabi IM. Antidiabetic Effect of the ScorpionScorpio Maurus Palmatusbody Extract Using Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Mice Model. J Taibah Univ Sci. 2019;13(1):504-13.
- Ortíz E, Gurrola GB, Schwartz EF, Possani LD. Scorpion Venom Components as Potential Candidates for Drug Development. Toxicon. 2015;93:125-35.
- Xie W, Zhao Y, Gu D, Du L, Cai G, Zhang Y. Scorpion in Combination With Gypsum: Novel Antidiabetic Activities in Streptozotocin‐Induced Diabetic Mice by Up‐Regulating Pancreatic PPARγ and PDX‐1 Expressions. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2011;2011(1).
- Farrag ARH, Khaled HA, Tewfick MK, Kamel JAH. The Effects of Androctonus Amoreuxi Scorpion Extract and Sitagliptin in the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 in Animal Models. Egypt Acad J Biol Sci B Zool. 2016;8(1):75-86.
- Ozkan O, Filazi A. The determination of acute lethal dose-50 (LD50) levels of venom in mice, obtained by different methods from scorpions. Androctonus crassicauda. 1807:50-3.
- Ramakrishnan MA. Determination of 50% endpoint titer using a simple formula. World J Virol. 2016;5(2):85-6.
- Furman BL. Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Models in Mice and Rats. Curr Protoc. 2021;1(4):e78.
- Ghadiri N, Javidan M, Sheikhi S, Taştan Ö, Parodi A, Liao Z, et al. Bioactive peptides: an alternative therapeutic approach for cancer management. Front Immunol. 2024;15:1310443.
- Koh DC, Armugam A, Jeyaseelan K. Snake venom components and their applications in biomedicine. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2006;63(24):3030-41.
- Harvey AL. Toxins and drug discovery. Toxicon. 2014;92:193-200.
- L. Roudbari SI. The effects of Anderoctonus Crassicauda scorpion venom in the treatment of Diabetes Mellitus type 1 in animal models. Ann Biol Res. 2012;3(12):5782-5.
- Shahdadi S, Hamidi F, Fathi B. The effect of Iranian snake, Naja naja oxiana venom on the blood glucose concentration and some biochemical parameters of experimental diabetic rats. Heliyon. 2024;10(2):e24436.
- Kumar R, Sharma B, Tomar NR, Roy P, Gupta AK, Kumar A. In vivo evaluation of hypoglycemic activity of Aloe spp. and identification of its mode of action on GLUT-4 gene expression in vitro. Appl Biochem Biotechnol. 2011;164(8):1246-56.
)