ANTI-COAGULANT PROPERTIES OF APIS-MELLIFERA (HONEY BEE) VENOM

The present study showed that bee venom had no coagulant activity toward [rabbit] plasma or fibrinogen, but had an anticoagulant effect. It did not destroy fibrinogen, inactivate thrombin nor interfere with the the interaction between thrombin and fibrinogen. Hence, its anticoagulant effect does not occur in the final step of blood coagulation (fibrinogen to fibrin transformation or proteolytic action of thrombin). The anticoagulant action of the venom was due to the inhibition of prothrombin activation, while tissue thromboplastin, cephalin and ruptured platelets were able to counteract the anticoagulant effect of the venom. Since the procoagulant activities of platelets and tissue thromboplastin were mainly to provide phospholipids, the anticoagulant action was mainly due to the inhibition of the procoagulant activity of phospholipids.