Impact of apitherapy on canine, equine, and chicken lymphocytes, in vitro.

Apitherapy is a form of alternative medicine that utilizes products from the western honeybee (Apis mellifera), including honey, propolis, and honeybee venom, to improve the health status of human patients by altering host immunity. An added benefit of these products is that they are nutraceuticals and relatively inexpensive to aquire. Currently, little is known about the use of honeybee products in veterinary species, as well as their impact on host immunity. In the present in vitro study, honey, propolis, and honeybee venom were co-cultured with enriched canine, equine, and chicken peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) with cell proliferation, cell viability/apoptosis, and cellular morphology evaluated. Concanavalin A (Con A) and dexamethasone were used as stimulatory and suppressive controls, respectively. Honeybee products' effects on the three veterinary species varied by product and the species. Honey stimulated the PBLs proliferation in all three species but also displayed some increased cytotoxicity. Propolis stimulated proliferation in canine and equine PBLs, however, it suppressed proliferation in the chicken PBLs. Honeybee venom was the strongest PBL stimulant for all three species and in the equine, surpassed the stimulant response of Con A and yet, enhanced PBL cell viability post culture. In summary, the results of this preliminary in vitro study show that these three honeybee products do impact lymphocyte proliferation and viability in dogs, horses, and chickens, and that more research both in vitro and in vivo will be necessary to draw conclusions regarding their future use as immune stimulants or inhibitors.

The immunomodulatory effects of a commercial antiviral homeopathic compound in C57BL/6 mice, pre and post vaccine challenge.

Homeopathic remedies have been selectively employed in human medicine since Hahneman introduced the concept in 1828. While the use of homeopathy is regionally popular in both human and veterinary medicine, there is still a significant lack of scientific evidence supporting its efficacy. This is likely due to an absence of studies evaluating the mechanism of action of these compounds. Engystol® an FDA-approved antiviral agent, is a popular homeopathic commercial product. In select in vivo and in vitro observational studies, the drug showed a measureable innate immune therapeutic efficacy. The focus of the present study was to evaluate the innate and adaptive immunomodulatory effects of oral Engystol(®) (1 or 10 tablets/L water consumed), prior to and post antigenic challenge in a mouse model with a well-characterized and clinically measureable immune system. We first evaluated the murine immune response when oral Engystol(®) was given alone for 28days. Mice were then challenged with an antigen-specific H5N1 HA vaccine while on Engystol(®) for an additional 33days. Serum and supernatants from cultured splenic lymphocytes were collected and screened with a 32-cytokine panel. Serum vaccine epitope-specific IgG titers plus T cell and B cell phenotypes from splenic tissue were also evaluated. Preliminary results showed that Engystol(®) alone did not alter immunity; however, upon vaccine challenge, Engystol(®) decreased CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratios, altered select cytokines/chemokines, and anti-H5N1 HA IgG titers were increased in the 10 tablet/L group. Collectively, these data suggest that Engystol(®) can modulate immunity upon antigenic challenge.