J Vet Med Sci. 2003 Mar; 65(3): 349-55.

Acupoint stimulation using bee venom attenuates formalin-induced pain behavior and spinal cord fos expression in rats.

Kim HW, Kwon YB, Ham TW, Roh DH, Yoon SY, Lee HJ, Han HJ, Yang IS, Beitz AJ, Lee JH.

Department of Veterinary Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.

In two previous reports, we have demonstrated that injection of bee venom (BV) into an acupoint produces a significant antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effect in both a mouse model of visceral nociception and a rat model of chronic arthritis. The present study was designed to evaluate the potential antinociceptive effect of BV pretreatment on formalin-induced pain behavior and it associated spinal cord Fos expression in rats. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with BV directly into the Zusanli (ST36) acupoint or into an arbitrary non-acupoint located on the back. BV pretreatment into the Zusanli acupoint significantly decreased paw-licking time in the late phase of the formalin test. In contrast, BV injected into a non-acupoint in the back region did not suppress the paw-licking time. In addition, BV pretreatment into the Zusanli acupoint markedly inhibited spinal cord Fos expression induced by formalin injection. These findings indicate that BV pretreatment into the Zusanli acupoint has an antinociceptive effect on formalin-induced pain behavior.