Comparative Study on the Effects of Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture According to the Treatment Method for Knee Osteoarthritis

Abstract

Objectives:The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of bee venom pharmacopuncture (BVP) therapy according to the methods used to treat knee osteoarthritis (OA): intra-acupoint combined with intra-articular injection, intra-acupoint injection, and intra-articular injection.Methods:A total of 69 patients were recruited by the Department of Acupuncture & Moxibustion at Dong- Eui Oriental University Hospital from February 1 to July 23, 2012. The patients were assigned to 3 groups: the first group with intra-acupoint combined with intraarticular BVP Injection (the experimental group), the 2nd group with intra-acupoint BVP injection (control groupⅠ), and the 3rd group with intra-articular BVP injection (control groupⅡ). The participants were assigned in the order in which they were recruited. Treatments were done twice a week, for a total of 9 times. The effectiveness was assessed by using the visual analouge scale (VAS) and the Korea Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (KWOMAC).Results:All three groups exhibited significant VAS and KWOMAC effects. Moreover, the 4 week follow-up after the final treatment showed a persistence of BVP effects. However, when the groups were compared, no statistically significant differences in VAS and KWOMAC were noted, but when improvement was considered, the results showed that intra-articular injection was more effective than intra-acupoint injection. Especially, intra-acupoint combined with intra-articular injection was the most effective among the three treatments.Conclusions:Combining intra-acupoint with intraarticular injection, depending on the patient's symptoms, may produce better results when conservatively treating knee OA.

Clinical Applications of Bee Venom Acupoint Injection

“…After 12 weeks, the BV biotherapy group showed a remarkable improvement over the control group in Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) pain scores [ 87 ]. Another comparative study revealed that a combination of intra-articular injection with intra-acupoint injection was more effective than conservative treatments for osteoarthritis of the knee [ 88 ].…”

In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-Allergic and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of eBV, a Newly Developed Derivative of Bee Venom, through Modulation of IRF3 Signaling Pathway in a Carrageenan-Induced Edema Model

“…Moreover, melittin itself has been shown to induce allergic reaction and inflammation under certain conditions [46, 47]. Nevertheless, the anti-inflammatory properties of BV and melittin described in the previous literature suggest therapeutic benefit [48, 49] and BV pharmacopuncture is widely used in Korean medicine practice [50, 51]. The authors have also conducted a clinical trial comparing the anti-inflammatory and local adverse effects and allergic reaction to BV and eBV, which is currently submitted to be considered for publication.…”

An overview of the bioactive compounds, therapeutic properties and toxic effects of apitoxin

“…In the last decade, as result of increasing investigation worldwide, the usefulness of BV has been reported for several diseases and pathologic contexts (Table 2), in studies performed in vitro and in vivo, in animal models or enrolling humans. Among other settings, the effects of BV were demonstrated in multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease (Ostrovsky and Ehrlich, 2018), dementia (Silva et al, 2015), atherosclerosis (Lee and Bae, 2016), osteoarthritis (Lee et al, 2012), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (Jallouk et al, 2014), periodontitis (Gu et al, 2019), Diabetes mellitus (Hossen et al, 2017) and rheumatoid arthritis (Son et al, 2007;Brito et al, 2018). The effects of BV and its isolated bioactive compounds have also been described in several types of solid cancer like breast, ovarian, bladder, lung, liver and prostate, as well as on hematologic malignancies (Moga et al, 2018).…”

“…Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Lee and Bae (2016) [in vivo, animal models] Anti-ageing Choi et al (2015) [in vivo, humans;in vitro]; Han et al (2013a) [in vivo, humans;in vitro]; Tusiimire et al (2015) [in vitro]; Han et al (2015) [in vivo, humans;in vitro]; Lee et al (2015) [in vitro] Anti-arthritic Lee et al (2012); Wang et al (2002); Jeong et al (2015); Son et al (2007) [all studies performed in vivo, in humans]; Anti-dandruff Prakash and Bhargava (2014) A. Pascoal, et al Food and Chemical Toxicology 134 (2019) 110864 Han et al (2013a) observed that cosmetics containing purified BV had a better efficiency in reducing microorganisms' concentration and the number of skin lesion, suggesting that purified BV could be a good candidate for developing new formulations for acne vulgaris treatment.…”