title: The protective effect of bee venom on fibrosis causing inflammatory diseases.
abstract: Bee venom therapy is a treatment modality that may be thousands of years old and involves the application of live bee stings to the patient's skin or, in more recent years, the injection of bee venom into the skin with a hypodermic needle. Studies have proven the effectiveness of bee venom in treating pathological conditions such as arthritis, pain and cancerous tumors. However, there has not been sufficient review to fully elucidate the cellular mechanisms of the anti-inflammatory effects of bee venom and its components. In this respect, the present study reviews current understanding of the mechanisms of the anti-inflammatory properties of bee venom and its components in the treatment of liver fibrosis, atherosclerosis and skin disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, 3056-6, Daemyung-4-Dong, Nam-gu, Daegu 705-718, Korea. woolamee@cu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Woo-Ram
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Panorama Avenue, Bathurst, NSW 2795, Australia. spak@csu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Sok Cheon
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Pak
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, 3056-6, Daemyung-4-Dong, Nam-gu, Daegu 705-718, Korea. kkpark@cu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Kwan-Kyu
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001514:Bee Venoms / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D001514:Bee Venoms
keywords: atherosclerosis; bee venom; inflammation; liver fibrosis; skin disease