Abstract

Honey bee, Apis mellifera, is classified in the Apidae family while wasps and hornets are classified in the Vespidae family. The present work has investigated and measured cytotoxic, necrotic, apoptotic, and autophagic effects of venom sac extract (VSE) of Vespa orientalis hornet on T47D (cancerous) and MCF10A (normal) breast cell lines. The results showed that the VSE of oriental hornet displays a stronger necrotic effect than apoptotic and autophagic effects in a given concentration on both cell lines. They also indicated that necrotic, apoptotic, and autophagic effects of VSE of oriental hornets are more prominent on T47D than MCF10A cells. Moreover, the necrotic effect of VSE on oriental hornets is more potent than its apoptotic and autophagic effects. The results also showed that the VSE of oriental hornets kills T47D (cancerous) cells more rapidly than MCF10A (normal) cells