The Effect of Bee Venom and Hyperthermia on Lipid Peroxidation in the Liver of Tumor-Bearing Rats

The search for low-toxic drugs with high therapeutic activity remains a pressing issue in oncology. The purpose of the study is to analyze the effect of bee venom in combination with hyperthermia on the content of lipid peroxidation products (LPPs) and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the liver homogenate of tumor-bearing rats. Materials and methods. The study involved 135 female Wistar rats (3 months old). The comparison groups (15 individuals each) included tumor-bearing rats (control group) and rats (healthy or tumor-bearing) exposed solely to hyperthermia (42 or 43 °C), and bee venom, as well as their combined effect. Data from 15 intact (healthy) animals were studied as a physiological norm. The tumor process was modeled by transplanting the PC-1 strain into the inguinal region. The materials for the study were liver tissues extracted from rats on the 1st, 7th, and 14th days after therapeutic interventions. Concentrations of LPPs – diene conjugates (DC), triene conjugates (TC) and Schiff bases (SB) – were assessed spectrophotometrically. Antioxidant system activity was assessed by SOD activity, also determined spectrophotometrically. Results. With the combined effect of 43 °C hyperthermia and bee venom, a decrease in the concentrations of DC, TC, and SB in the rat liver homogenate was recorded on the 14th day after the interventions, reaching levels similar to those of intact animals, compared to the control group data. With the combined effect of 42 °C hyperthermia and bee venom, the decrease in DC, TC and SB levels was less pronounced. Hyperthermia alone was not effective and maintained the tumor-induced increases in the parameters mentioned above. SOD activity in the liver homogenate of tumor-bearing rats exposed to the combined effect of hyperthermia and bee venom increased during all observation periods compared to the intact and control groups, particularly with 43 °C hyperthermia. Thus, the study demonstrates a positive combined effect of hyperthermia and bee venom in oncopathology, resulting in a significant reduction in the content of primary and secondary lipid peroxidation products in the liver homogenate, as well as a significant activation of the antioxidant system.