Immunology and homeopathy. 3. Experimental studies on animal models

Abstract

A search of the literature and the experiments carried out by the authors of this review show that there are a number of animal models where the effect of homeopathic dilutions or the principles of homeopathic medicine have been tested. The results relate to the immunostimulation by ultralow doses of antigens, the immunological models of the 'simile', the regulation of acute or chronic inflammatory processes and the use of homeopathic medicines in farming. The models utilized by different research groups are extremely etherogeneous and differ as the test medicines, the dilutions and the outcomes are concerned. Some experimental lines, particularly those utilizing mice models of immunomodulation and anti-inflammatory effects of homeopathic complex formulations, give support to a real effect of homeopathic high dilutions in animals, but often these data are of preliminary nature and have not been independently replicated. The evidence emerging from animal models is supporting the traditional 'simile' rule, according to which ultralow doses of compounds, that in high doses are pathogenic, may have paradoxically a protective or curative effect. Despite a few encouraging observational studies, the effectiveness of the homeopathic prevention or therapy of infections in veterinary medicine is not sufficiently supported by randomized and controlled trials.

Figure 1

Regulation of adjuvant arthritis by low doses of adjuvant. Rats with adjuvant (killed M. butyricum in paraffin oil)-induced arthritis were injected intraperitoneally with the causative antigen at concentrations 10 times lower than the inducing one, on the 3rd and 10th day after arthritis induction. The severity of the disease was assessed on the basis of paw swelling, of general inflammatory involvement (arthritis index) and of biochemical (serum IL-6) parameters (39,40,42).

Figure 2

Effect of Traumeel-S on the rat paw edema caused by autologous blood injection. Adapted from data of ref. (66). ^*P < 0.05, ^**P < 0.01.