[Omeo33] Art 0746 - BMC Compl Alt Med, 2007, 7 (1), 1472-6882

[Gino Santini]

Rat models of acute inflammation: a randomized controlled study on the  
effects of homeopathic remedies
Anita Conforti, Paolo Bellavite, Simone Bertani, Flavia Chiarotti,  
Francesca Menniti-Ippolito, and Roberto Raschetti

Background - One of the cardinal principles of homeopathy is the "law  
of similarities", according to which patients can be treated by  
administering substances which, when tested in healthy subjects, cause  
symptoms that are similar to those presented by the patients  
themselves. Over the last few years, there has been an increase in the  
number of pre-clinical (in vitro and animal) studies aimed at  
evaluating the pharmacological activity or efficacy of some  
homeopathic remedies under potentially reproducible conditions.  
However, in addition to some contradictory results, these studies have  
also highlighted a series of methodological difficulties.
The present study was designed to explore the possibility to test in a  
controlled way the effects of homeopathic remedies on two known  
experimental models of acute inflammation in the rat. To this aim, the  
study considered six different remedies indicated by homeopathic  
practice for this type of symptom in two experimental edema models  
(carrageenan- and autologous blood-induced edema), using two treatment  
administration routes (sub-plantar injection and oral administration).
Methods - In a first phase, the different remedies were tested in the  
four experimental conditions, following a single-blind (measurement)  
procedure. In a second phase, some of the remedies (in the same and in  
different dilutions) were tested by oral administration in the  
carrageenan-induced edema, under double-blind (treatment  
administration and measurement) and fully randomized conditions. Seven- 
hundred-twenty male Sprague Dawley rats weighing 170–180 g were used.  
Six homeopathic remedies (Arnica montana D4, Apis mellifica D4, D30,  
Atropa belladonna D4, Hamamelis virginiana D4, Lachesis D6, D30,  
Phosphorus D6, D30), saline and indomethacin were tested. Edema was  
measured using a water-based plethysmometer, before and at different  
times after edema induction. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and Student t  
test.
Results - In the first phase of experiments, some statistically  
significant effects of homeopathic remedies (Apis, Lachesis and  
Phosporus) were observed (the reduction in paw volume increase ranging  
from 10% to 28% at different times since edema induction). In the  
second phase of experiments, the effects of homeopathic remedies were  
not confirmed. On the contrary, the unblinded standard allopathic drug  
indomethacin exhibited its anti-inflammatory effect in both  
experimental phases (the reduction in paw volume increase ranging from  
14% to 40% in the first phase, and from 18% to 38% in the second phase  
of experiments).
Conclusion - The discrepancies between single-blind and double-blind  
methods in animal pharmacological research are noteworthy and should  
be better investigated, also in non-homeopathic research.

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