Effect of different doses of bee venom on changes in total white blood cell and lavage fluid inflammatory cells in experimental asthmatic rats

Asthma is a complex and chronic inflammatory disease that causes numerous changes in the shape and function of the respiratory system, including reversible obstruction and stenosis, severe response, and alteration of the airway model, and other body systems, such as the immune system, the nervous system, and the endocrine system. It also affects the psyche of the patient. Today, due to the side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs, there is a growing desire to use traditional medicine. Bee venom due to the presence of numerous antioxidants and anti-inflammatory factors can prevent the increase of free radicals and is effective in reducing the complications of asthma.

To evaluate bee poison, 32 rats (Wistar) were divided into four groups of control, asthma, and asthma receiving categorized 0/5 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg. To inflict the experimental asthma, rats received injective–inhalation ovalbumin. Along with receiving asthma, the treatment groups received bee poison during 10 days, too. At the end of the experiment, the samples were dissected and their lavage fluid was extracted, the white blood cell counted, and the percentages of monocytes and eosinophils in the lavage fluid of the four groups were determined and compared using SPSS running ANOVA with the significance value set at .

The results showed that the total number of white blood cells, with the mean and standard deviation of 229 ± 34 (P≤0.01), percentage of monocytes with the mean of 1.71 ± 0.18 (P≤0.001), and vasinophils with the mean of 1.63 ± 0.26 (P≤0.01) in asthma samples increased significantly compared with those of the control samples.

According to the results, it seems that, due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, bee venom may be effective in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as asthma.