title: First report on the isolation of melittin from Iranian honey bee venom and evaluation of its toxicity on gastric cancer AGS cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been previously reported that melittin, the main ingredient of honey bee venom, has anticancer properties. However, there appears to be no earlier study focusing on the isolation of melittin from Iranian honey bee venom (Apis mellifera meda), and evaluation of its effect on cancerous cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  We isolated melittin using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography, and its potential toxicity on gastric cancer AGS cells was determined with an MTT [3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay. Furthermore, to ascertain whether melittin induces apoptosis or necrosis in these cells, morphological evaluation, DNA fragmentation assay, propidium podide and annexin-V-FITC dual staining, and flow cytometric analysis were also conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of our study suggested that melittin inhibited the proliferation of AGS cells in a dose and time-dependent trend. All of the above four distinct assays indicated that melittin induces necrosis in AGS cells at concentrations of ≥ 1 μg/mL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study indicated that melittin has an anticancer effect on gastric cancer AGS cells and stimulates necrotic cell death in these cells.
authors: Biochemistry Department, Shiraz Medical School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors: Amir
authors: A
authors: Mahmoodzadeh
authors: Biotechnology Research Center, Biotechnology Department, Venom and Toxin Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Hannaneh
authors: H
authors: Zarrinnahad
authors: Biotechnology Research Center, Biotechnology Department, Venom and Toxin Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Kamran Pooshang
authors: KP
authors: Bagheri
authors: Department of Biochemistry, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors: Ali
authors: A
authors: Moradia
authors: Biotechnology Research Center, Biotechnology Department, Venom and Toxin Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: shahbazzadeh@pasteur.ac.ir.
authors: Delavar
authors: D
authors: Shahbazzadeh
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001514:Bee Venoms / Q000032:analysis*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008555:Melitten / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D009336:Necrosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D001514:Bee Venoms; D008555:Melitten
keywords: Apis mellifera meda; apoptosis; gastric cancer; melittin; necrosis