Bee materials such as honey, royal jelly and bee venom have been useful in oriental medicine.

Bee venom, especially, is widely known for being used the most in apitherapy, treating patients with arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

Local scientists discovered that such bee material could also effectively treat Parkinson’s disease.

A team headed by professor Bae Hyun-su of Kyung Hee University’s College of Oriental Medicine said that bee venom could help boost the immune system against the neurodegenerative disease.

The venom will increase regulatory T cells, which modulate the immune system, preventing the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, the team explained in the scientific journal, Brain, Behavior and Immunity.

DA neurons in the midbrain, where the cell mass substantia nigra is, function as neurotransmitters that help coordinate and move the human body.

When they are “disrupted” by the activity of microglia cells, which are part of the central nervous systems, and cause neuro-inflammatory responses, symptoms of Parkinson’s emerge.

The brain disorder will be clearly noticeable as patients will have muscular rigidity, postural instability and akinesia.

Regulatory T cells, spurred by bee venom can suppress microglia, which can be activated when exposed to toxin materials.

Microglia cells are not harmful when balanced as they can work to protect the nerve cells. But when overly activated, they can negatively diminish the neuro-transmitters, making movement rigid and unstable.

Bae said he hopes this latest development involving the relationship between bee venom and regulatory T cells will contribute to developing medicines that can prevent and cure Parkinson’s.

This research by Bae’s team has been funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and the National Research Foundation of Korea.

Korea has been increasing its research funding to find a medical breakthrough in Parkinson’s as the country’s population is rapidly ageing.

Such neurodegenerative disease has been common among one percent of those aged 60 and over worldwide.

By Park Hyong-ki (hkp@heraldcorp.com)