Regular Article Anti-allergic Effect of Bee Venom in an Allergic Rhinitis Mouse Model

Bee venom (BV) has been used as an anti-inflammatory and immune modulating agent in Oriental medi-cine. This study used a mouse model to investigate the anti-allergic effect of BV, which is used in the treat-ment of various inflammatory diseases in traditional medicine. BV was obtained from the National Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology of Korea. Female BALB/C mice were sensitized by intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin (OVA). BV was administered nasally prior to the intranasal instillation of OVA. Aller-gic behavior, serum OVA-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE), interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10, and interferon-gamma (INF-γ) levels in nasal lavage fluid were measured. Hematoxylin–eosin and periodic acid-Schiff staining were performed to evaluate histological change. BV attenuated nasal symptoms and inhibited the production of OVA-specific IgE and IL-4 in sensitized mice. The degree of inflammatory cell infiltration and goblet cell hyperplasia was attenuated by BV. Thus, BV effectively reduced allergic inflammation in a mouse model of allergic rhinitis, suggesting its potential as a useful therapeutic agent to treat allergic rhinitis. Key words bee venom; allergic rhinitis; ovalbumin; mouse model Allergic rhinitis (AR) is characterized by nasal mucosal inflammation resulting from immunoglobulin E (IgE) medi-ated hypersensitivity reaction. Allergen exposures stimulat