Effect of Bee Venom on Atopic Dermatitis‐like Model NC/Nga Mice Induced by DNCB

Abstract

Chemical haptens like 2,4‐dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) epicutaneously administered evoke an atopic dermatitis (AD)‐like dermatitis reaction in NC/Nga mice. Bee venom (BV) has shown to have a variety of biological activities including anti‐inflammatory reaction. However, the efficacy of bee venom for the allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and asthma has not been completely investigated. In the present study, we examined whether treatment with bee venom suppresses AD‐like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice induced by DNCB. Dorsal skin administration of BV to NC/Nga mice treated by DNCB was found to inhibit increase of the ear thickness and the skin lesions. In the evaluation of the scratching behavior, it decreased in 15‐20 percentage. The serum immunoglobuline E (IgE) production of DNCB‐treated NC/Nga mice was significantly inhibited by BV treatment. This result suggests that BV may suppress the development of AD‐like dermatitis in DNCB‐treated NC/Nga mice by reducing serum IgE production. It thus indicates that bee venom could be a useful remedy agent for treating the atopic dermatitis.