Bee Stings in Animals

Karimi A, Ahmadi F, Parivar K, Nabiuni M, Haghighi S, Imani S, Afrouzi H.Effect of honey bee venom on lewis rats with experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, a model formultiple sclerosis.Iran J Pharm Res. 2012 Spring;11(2):671-8.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive and autoimmune neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS). This disease is recognized through symptoms like inflammation, demyelination and the destruction of neurological actions. Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a widely accepted animal model for MS. EAE is created in animals by injecting the tissue of myelin basic protein (MBP), CNS, or myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) along with the adjuvant. EAE and MS are similar diseases. Honey Bee venom (Apis mellifera) contains a variety of low and high molecular weight peptides and proteins, including melittin, apamin, adolapin, mast cell degranulating peptide and phospholipase A2. Bee venom (BV) could exert anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects on the inflammatory reactions. The guinea pig spinal cord homogenate (GPSCH) is with the Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA), consisting of 1 mg/mL Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It was used for inducing EAE in Lewis rats for creating the MS model. The haematoxylin and eosin and luxol fast blue methods were used respectively in analyses of inflammation and detection of demyelination in the central nervous system. In this study, we indicated that the treatment of EAE with Bee venom decreased the symptoms of clinical disorder, pathological changes, inflammatory cell infiltration, demyelination in the central nervous system.

Beesting therapy is another one of those alternative therapies without much evidence either way. It has been suggested that they may have anti-inflammatory properties. This study suggest that Bee sting venon may have anti-inflammatory effects in EAE. Remember if you are allergic to bee stings such an treatment could have very serious consequences

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