Oxidative, Genotoxic and Epigenotoxic Effects of Pimpla turionellae Venom at Pharmacological Perspective

Insects and mammals share a similar innate immune system. Galleria mellonella (L.), a beekeeping pest, is an alternative model organism for human health studies due to its immune response similarity and ability to be maintained at 37 °C. While oxidative stress and genotoxicity cause diseases, antioxidant enzymes and epigenetic mechanisms are effective in immunological response processes. Although parasitoid venoms are potential candidates for pharmacological applications such as anticoagulant, antibiotic, painkiller, antiviral and anticancer agents, the information pool is scarce to reflect their effects in humans. In an attempt to reveal the pharmaceutical significance of parasitoid venoms and their potential effects on human health, different venom doses of Pimpla turionellae (L.), the solitary endoparasitoid of G. mellonella, were injected into the host. Then, the levels of protein content, advanced oxidised protein products, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant power and glutathione in host haemolymph, and the amounts of methylation marker 5-methyldeoxycytidine monophosphate and strand breakage rates under neutral and alkaline conditions in host DNA were analysed. Principal component analysis was performed to determine the number of components that oxidative parameters depend on, and multivariate correlation analysis was applied to evaluate the effects of the parameters on each other. It was concluded that P. turionellae venom appeared to be one of the most effective pharmaceutical agents among parasitoid venoms. Also, the 0.01 venom reservoir equivalent dose qualified as immunotherapeutic dose.