Anti-rheumatic activity of topical nanoemulsion containing bee venom in rats.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Bee Venom (BV) has been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for many centuries. However, its clinical use is limited by pain and fear of bee stings/injection. Nanoemulsions (NEs) are nanocarriers that are able to help their content(s) penetrate through the skin. They also act as drug reservoirs on the skin to provide an efficient, sustained-release vehicle. METHODS: In this paper, we present the development of a stable water-in-oil NE to help passing BV through the animal skin when used topically. RESULTS: Particle size of NE was 12.7 to 29.8 nm for NEs containing 0 to 150 µg/ml BV. Also, its anti-inflammatory effects were evaluated in rat models of type II collagen-induced arthritis. Topical administration of NEs containing 18.75 or 9.37 µg/ml BV were able to significantly (p < 0.05) reduce inflammation in the rat paws compared to the blank and control groups. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrated the efficacy of NEs containing BV to reduce inflammation caused by RA animal model.