In vivo neutralization of bee venom lethality by IgY antibodies

Abstract

Bee venom is a complex mixture of molecules, among which melittin and phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) are the toxic components involved in envenoming accidents with multiple honeybee stings. Traditionally, the treatment of envenomings has been based on the administration of specific antibodies to neutralize the deleterious effects of toxins. An alternative to mammalian polyclonal antibodies is the use of egg yolk immunoglobulins (IgY) due to their advantages regarding animal welfare and lower costs of production as compared to the conventional production methods. In this work, a novel composition containing specific IgY antibodies was developed. After four immunizations, IgY extracted from the egg yolks was able to recognize several components of the bee venom, including melittin and PLA₂. The performance of IgY to neutralize the lethal activity was evaluated in a mouse model by using one median lethal dose (LD₅₀) of the bee venom. The effective dose of the IgY extract was determined as 30.66 μg/mg. These results demonstrate the feasibility to produce IgY-based antivenoms to treat envenomings by multiple bee stings.

Keywords: Apis mellifera; Bee venom; Egg yolk; IgY antibodies; Venom neutralization.