Bee Venom Shots Could Kill Backache

IANS, 2/19/20134

Bee venom shots could kill backaches by reducing inflammation, says a British study.

The therapy is rooted in ancient traditional remedies, where bee stings were used to tackle a wide range of ailments. But it can be an effective tool in modern medicine, too, according to a number of studies.

An analysis of studies by University of Exeter researchers found bee venom contained compounds that may ease joint pain. Another trial, conducted by the University of North Carolina, investigated the effect of bee venom on back and leg pain…

Heather Honey High in Phenolic Content, Honeydew and Chestnut Honeys High in Flavonoids

Nutritional Value and Antioxidant Activity of Honeys Produced in a European Atlantic Area

Food Chem, 2013 Jun 1;138(2-3):851-6

One hundred eighty-seven honey samples from an Atlantic European area were studied to determine their nutritional compositions and antioxidant capacities, as well as the relationships between them. The results showed that heather, polyfloral, blackberry, and eucalyptus honeys had the highest carbohydrate contents, whereas honeydew and chestnut honeys had the lowest. There were some important differences among the honey types, which were related to the presence of minor components. The protein contents were significantly higher in honeydew and chestnut honeys, and the same results were obtained for mineral contents. Related to the presence of several antioxidant compounds, heather honey had the highest phenolic content, whereas honeydew and chestnut honeys had the highest flavonoid contents. Multivariate analysis showed that some variables, such as the amounts of flavonoids, minerals, proteins, and phenols, were significantly correlated with antioxidant activity. The regression analysis produced a significant model (R(2)=0.716; F=154.680; P < 0.001) that related the antioxidant activity and the flavonoids, K, and P contents.

Antibacterial Activity of Manuka Honey ‘Not Just All About MGO Levels’

Manuka the Bees' Knees at Fighting Infection

Anna Salleh, ABC, 2/14/2013

Manuka is the best honey for stopping bacterial infections in wounds but not all honeys labelled manuka are the real thing, say researchers.

Microbiologist Professor Elizabeth Harry, from the University of Technology, Sydney, and colleagues, report their findings today in the journal PLOS ONE.The study, funded by an Australian Research Council Linkage grant, involved a New Zealand company involved in producing manuka honey for medicinal use.
"Not all manuka honeys are the same," says Harry, who herself has no financial interest in manuka honey. "It's really important to use the natural honey product with minimal processing."

Honey in general has long been known to have antibacterial properties, mainly due to the presence of hydrogen peroxide.
But manuka honey has been touted as having superior activity above and beyond other honeys.
This has been thought to be due to the presence of high levels of a chemical called methyl-glyoxal, or MGO.
Harry and colleagues investigated the ability of manuka and other honeys to kill four bacteria commonly found in chronic wounds.
They tested the effect of clover, manuka and kanuka honeys on Bacillus subtilise, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Clover honey has no MGO and no peroxide, while kanuka and manuka both have peroxide, but manuka has higher levels of MGO to kanuka.

"Manuka honey was the most effective at inhibiting the growth of all the bacteria," says Harry…

Study of Mechanisms Involved in Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Chinese Propolis

Table 1: Concentrations of flavonoids presented in EECP.

Compounds Retention Time (min) mg/g of extracta Rutin 4.13 18.8 ± 0.1 Myricetin 5.61 15.4 ± 0.2 Quercetin 8.16 19.7 ± 0.3 Kaempferol 13.94 3.7 ± 0.1 Apigenin 15.41 3.5 ± 0.1 Pinocembrin 26.57 84.6 ± 0.2 Chrysin 35.20 33.5 ± 0.1 Galangin 42.57 29.1 ± 0.2

aReported values are the means ± SD (). EECP, ethanol extracts of Chinese propolis.

Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the in vitro Anti-Inflammatory Effects of a Flavonoid-Rich Ethanol Extract from Chinese Propolis (Poplar Type)

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2013;2013:127672

China produces the greatest amount of propolis but there is still lack of basic studies on its pharmacological mechanisms. Our previous study found that ethanol extract from Chinese propolis (EECP) exerted excellent anti-inflammatory effects in vivo but mechanisms of action were elusive.

To further clarify the possible mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory effects of Chinese propolis (poplar type), we utilized EECP to analyze its chemical composition and evaluated its potential anti-inflammatory effects in vitro. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) profile indicated that EECP contained abundant flavonoids, including rutin, myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, apigenin, pinocembrin, chrysin, and galangin. Next we found that EECP could significantly inhibit the production of NO, IL-1β, and IL-6 in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) stimulated RAW 264.7 cells and suppress mRNA expression of iNOS, IL-1β, and IL-6 in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, we found that EECP could suppress the phosphorylation of IκBα and AP-1 but did not affect IκBα's degradation. In addition, using a reporter assay, we found that EECP could block the activation of NF-κB in TNF-α-stimulated HEK 293T cells.

Our findings give new insights for understanding the mechanisms involved in the anti-inflammatory effects by Chinese propolis and provide additional references for using propolis in alternative and complementary therapies.

Propolis Component Exhibits Cardioprotective, Antiarrhythmic Effects

Electrophysiological and Mechanical Effects of Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester, a Novel Cardioprotective Agent with Antiarrhythmic Activity, in Guinea-Pig Heart

Eur J Pharmacol, 2013 Feb 5

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is an active component of propolis that exhibits cardioprotective and antiarrhythmic effects. The detailed mechanisms underlying these effects, however, are not entirely understood.

The aim of this study was to elucidate the electromechanical effects of CAPE in guinea-pig cardiac preparations. Intracardiac electrograms, left ventricular (LV) pressure, and the anti-arrhythmic efficacy were determined using isolated hearts. Action potentials of papillary muscles were assessed with microelectrodes, Ca(2+) transients were measured by fluorescence, and ion fluxes were measured by patch-clamp techniques. In a perfused heart model, CAPE prolonged the atrio-ventricular conduction interval, the Wenckebach cycle length, and the refractory periods of the AV node and His-Purkinje system, while shortening the QT interval. CAPE reduced the occurrence of reperfusion-induced ventricular fibrillation and decreased LV pressure in isolated hearts. In papillary muscles, CAPE shortened the action potential duration and reduced both the maximum upstroke velocity and contractile force. In fura-2-loaded single ventricular myocytes, CAPE decreased cell shortening and the Ca(2+) transient amplitude. Patch-clamp experiments revealed that CAPE produced a use-dependent decrease in L-type Ca(2+) current (I(Ca,L)) (IC(50)=1.1μM) and Na(+) current (I(Na)) (IC(50)=0.43μM), caused a negative-shift of the voltage-dependent inactivation and a delay of recovery from inactivation. CAPE decreased the delayed outward K(+) current (I(K)) slightly, without affecting the inward rectifier K(+) current (I(K1)).

These results suggest that the preferential inhibition of Ca(2+) inward and Na(+) inward currents by CAPE may induce major electromechanical alterations in guinea-pig cardiac preparations, which may underlie its antiarrhythmic action.

Japanese Honey Reduces Wound Size in Inflammatory Phase

Effects of Three Types of Japanese Honey on Full-Thickness Wound in Mice

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2013;2013:504537

Although many previous studies reported that honey promotes wound healing, no study has examined the effects of Japanese honey. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of three types of Japanese honey, Acacia, Buckwheat flour, and Chinese milk vetch honey, on wound healing in comparison with hydrocolloid dressing.

Circular full-thickness skin wounds were produced on male mice. Japanese honey or hydrocolloid dressing was applied daily to the mice for 14 days. The ratio of wound area for the hydrocolloid dressing group increased initially in the inflammatory and early proliferative phases and then decreased rapidly to heal with scarring. However, the ratios of wound area for the Japanese honey groups decreased in the inflammatory phase, increased in the proliferative phase, and decreased in the proliferative phase, and some wounds were not completely covered with new epithelium.

These findings indicate that using Japanese honey alone has limited benefit, but since it reduces wound size in the inflammatory phase, it is possible to apply a combined treatment in which Japanese honey is applied only in the inflammatory phase, followed by hydrocolloid dressing from the proliferative phase, which would effectively contract the wound.