Pii: S0304-3959(00)00412-7

Bee venom (BV) has traditionally been used in Oriental medicine to relieve pain and to treat in ̄ammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). While several investigators have evaluated the anti-in ̄ammatory effect of BV treatment, the anti-nociceptive effect of BV treatment on in ̄ammatory pain has not been examined. Previous studies in experimental animals suggest that the therapeutic effect of BV on arthritis is dependent on the site of administration. Because of this potential site speci®city, the present study was designed to evaluate the anti-nociceptive effect of BV injections into a speci®c acupoint (Zusanli) compared to a non-acupoint in an animal model of chronic arthritis. Subcutaneous BV treatment (1 mg/kg per day) was found to dramatically inhibit paw edema caused by Freund's adjuvant injection. Furthermore, BV therapy signi®cantly reduced arthritis-induced nociceptive behaviors (i.e. the nociceptive scores for mechanical hyperalgesia and thermal hyperalgesia). These anti-nociceptive/anti-in ̄ammatory effects of BV were observed from 12 days through 21 days postBV treatment. In addition, BV treatment signi®cantly suppressed adjuvant-induced Fos expression in the lumbar spinal cord at 3 weeks postadjuvant injection. Finally, injection of BV into the Zusanli acupoint resulted in a signi®cantly greater analgesic effect on arthritic pain as compared to BV injection in to a more distant non-acupoint. The present study demonstrates that BV injection into the Zusanli acupoint has both anti-in ̄ammatory and anti-nociceptive effects on Freund's adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats. These ®ndings raise the possibility that BV acupuncture may be a promising alternative medicine therapy for the long-term treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. q 2001 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.