"Mechanism of Spinal Stenosis Treatment by Bongchim Confirmed in Cell and Animal Experiments"

Jasaeng Spine and Joint Research Institute Chief Researcher Kim Hyunseong Team
Increase of Anti-inflammatory Macrophages in Melittin-treated Cell Experiments
"Suppresses Inflammation and Promotes Antioxidant Activity"

The research team at Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine announced that cell and animal experiments on melittin, a major component of bee venom, have demonstrated its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects as well as the therapeutic mechanism for spinal stenosis.
[Photo by Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] A study confirming the mechanism of bee venom acupuncture, refined from 'bee venom' extracted from bees, in treating spinal stenosis has been published based on cell and animal experiments.

The research team led by Principal Researcher Kim Hyun-sung at Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine's Spine and Joint Research Institute announced on the 7th that they identified the treatment mechanism of 'melittin,' which accounts for more than 50% of the total bee venom, and confirmed its cell-protective and motor function improvement effects in spinal stenosis.

Bee venom acupuncture is a treatment method that uses bee venom extracted from bees, refined to be harmless to the human body. Melittin contained in bee venom is known to have effects in various fields such as anticancer, immune enhancement, and musculoskeletal pain relief, and related research is ongoing.

The research team isolated macrophages from the peritoneum of rats and performed fluorescent staining on inflammatory macrophages (M1) and anti-inflammatory macrophages (M2), respectively. Macrophages, which play an important role in the immune system, function to decompose contaminated substances in the body and remove external pathogens.

Next, they treated the macrophages with ferrous sulfate, which causes oxidative stress, to create a spinal stenosis environment, then treated them with melittin at two concentrations (200, 500 ng/㎖) and observed cellular changes. In the body, M1 accumulates iron and causes tissue damage, while M2 expels iron from cells and induces anti-inflammatory actions to repair tissue.

Senior Researcher Hyunseong Kim at Jaseng Spine and Joint Research Institute. [Photo by Jaseng Korean Medicine Hospital]

In the cell experiment results, M1 increased along with inflammatory responses after iron treatment but decreased as the melittin concentration increased. Conversely, M2 increased proportionally to the melittin concentration. The research team analyzed that melittin reduces M1 and increases M2, thereby inhibiting iron accumulation through antioxidant action and resolving inflammation, which is the cause of spinal pain.

Animal experiments proving melittin's anti-inflammatory effect were also conducted. The research team induced spinal stenosis by removing the fifth lumbar vertebra (L5) of rats and inserting a silicone implant, then administered melittin to observe inflammatory changes in spinal cord tissue. As a result, M1, which was concentrated at the silicone implant site, decreased in a concentration-dependent manner with melittin. The research team explained that this confirmed the effect of treating spinal stenosis by suppressing inflammatory responses caused by nerve and tissue damage.

Principal Researcher Kim said, “This paper is significant as it is the first to scientifically prove the treatment mechanism of melittin, a major component of bee venom, for spinal stenosis,” adding, “Melittin could be a promising candidate substance not only for spinal stenosis but also for treating various spinal diseases.”

The research results were published in the SCI(E)-level international journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy (IF=7.419).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.