The effects of honey bee venom on the serum interleukin 6 level in EAE Lewis rats; a model for the study of multiple sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a suitable model for MS disease. In this study we hypothesized that honey bee venom (BV) has a potential role for the treatment of EAE by decreasing IL6 level. Female Lewis rats were immunized with emulsion of guinea pig spinal cord and complete Freund’s adjuvant. EAE sign developed 9 days after immunization. Experimental rats were divided into 4 groups including; Control group، EAE induced rats treated by 1mg/kg of BV، EAE induced rats treated by 2mg/kg of HBV and sham group. Clinical signs of EAE were recorded daily and serum cytokines were analyzed by ELISA. Brain samples were processed for paraffin sections and then used for hematoxylin and eosin staining and histopathological examination. Significance in comparing multiple means was tested with one-way ANOVA. The results indicated that treatment with BV reduces the penetration of inflammatory cells in the brain of EAE rats. Results of ELISA test showed that treatment with BV in experimental groups caused decreasing IL6 (101-80 pg/ml) compared to the sham group (201pg/ml). ‍ Based on the results، we showed that BV can block IL6 as a pro-inflammatory cytokine. EAE rats which were treated by BV showed a decrease in the symptoms of disorder. Therefore، anti inflammatory effects of BV on cytokines levels may modulate MS sings and then it can be used for MS treatment in future.