The use of animal models in homeopathic research – a review of 2010–2014 PubMed indexed papers

Bonamin, Leoni Villano; Cardoso, Thayná Neves; Carvalho, Adriana Oliveira; Amaral, Juliana Gimenez

doi:10.1016/j.homp.2015.06.002

Cited by 25 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Since the 1970s, a large body of experimental work has been amassed, including work carried out in Russia [1][2][3][4][5][6][7], which shows that high dilutions no longer containing molecules of the original substance are able to cause a physiological reaction based on molecular-level effects. A number of properties commonly attributed to "high dilutions" have been discovered [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Spatial Homeostasis Hypothesis

Epstein¹

2018

Symmetry

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From studies on the effects of "high dilutions" on organisms, it was found that their administration induces a delicate physiological (molecular and cellular) response. Occasionally, physiological reactions can become atypical (pathological) individual reactions. To resolve this paradox, the spatial homeostasis hypothesis has been proposed. It considers pathological processes as tools used by living systems, in order to retain their spatial integrity (symmetry), allowing them to properly reflect the geometry of the surrounding world and thus, to be a part of the evolutionary process. This article addresses an interdisciplinary subject and is aimed at natural scientists (physicists, chemists, and biologists) as well as philosophers.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Spatial Homeostasis Hypothesis

Epstein¹

2018

Symmetry

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“…The effects of homeopathic medicines in relation to the vehicle (placebo) may be seen in studies performed in-vivo or in standard clinical trials. 8,9,[14][15][16][19][20][21][22][23] However, characterizing the specificity of such effects is even more important in refined studies designed in-vitro, 44 since it is known that the succussion itself can promote changes in the solvent organization, including the generation of different oxygenderived radicals, mainly when water is used. [45][46][47] Macrophage cultures are very sensitive for detecting the effect of high dilutions but are also sensitive for detecting such solvent changes as well, concerning elements related to cell oxidative metabolism.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…7 Considering the difficulty associated with establishing an effective therapeutic protocol, the search for alternatives is critical. Several studies have demonstrated specific and relevant effects of homeopathic medicines in animals of different species under various nosological conditions; [8][9][10] nevertheless, the understanding of the general mechanisms through which such agents exert their effects is still very poor. 10 Some previous clinical experience of one of the co-authors of this article was the main motivation for this study.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Using various models of macrophage challenge with other micro-organisms, our team has previously shown that highly diluted medicines, instead of killing the micro-organisms, facilitate the organization of a more effective pattern of macrophage response and arrest the parasite's life cycle. [8][9][10][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] For this reason, a similar model was designed herein to explain the clinical results, and avoiding new in-vivo experiments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Homeopathic Phosphorus on Encephalitozoon cuniculi-Infected Macrophages In-Vitro

et al. 2019

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Introduction Encephalitozoon cuniculi (E. cuniculi), a fungus that acts as an intracellular pathogen, causes a marked neurological syndrome in many host species and is a zoonotic concern. Although no well-established treatment for this syndrome is known, previous successful clinical experience using homeopathic phosphorus has been described in which symptom remission with no mortality occurred in 40/42 animals by means of unknown immunological mechanisms. The latter observation was the main motivation for this study. Objective To verify, in an in-vitro model, if macrophages infected with E. cuniculi can change in function after treatment with different potencies of phosphorus. Materials and Methods RAW 264.7 macrophages were infected with E. cuniculi in-vitro and treated with various homeopathic potencies of phosphorus. The vehicle was used as a control solution (0.06% succussed ethanol). After 1 and 24 hours, the following parameters were analyzed: parasite internalization (by the Calcofluor staining method), lysosome activity (by the acridine orange method), cytokine/chemokine production (by the MAGPIX system), and cell ultrastructure. Automatic image analysis was used when applicable, and the experiments were performed in triplicate. Results Treatment with vehicle alone increased interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha and monocyte chemotactic protein -1 production (p ≤ 0.05) and reduced the number of internalized parasites (p ≤ 0.001). A progressive and time-dependent increase in RANTES (regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted) and lysosome activity (p ≤ 0.002) was observed only after treatment with the highest potency of phosphorus (Phos 200cH), together with decreased apoptosis rate, intense parasite digestion, and the presence of non-internalized spores. Conclusions Phos 200 cH has a modulatory action on the activity of infected macrophages, especially a specific increase in RANTES, a key element in the prognosis of E. cuniculi-infected and of immunosuppressed patients bearing infections.

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“…In addition to the production of animals, homeopathy is studied in experimental models such as rats, mice and non-human primates (Bonamin et al, 2015;Chatfield et al, 2016). In this group, rats and mice correspond to 72% of the research of this therapy in the last 10 years, with the main purpose of using them as models of disease (Chatfield et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Homeopathy improves production and hatching probability of zebrafish eggs

Lewandowski¹,

Sary²,

Campos³

et al. 2019

LAJAR

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The homeopathy has been practiced for many years, mainly using rodent as a research model. Zebrafish have been used as an animal model in different scientific areas and may represent an important model in studies with this therapy. This paper aimed to evaluate the action of Homeopatila 100 ® on the growth, the action on the liver and reproduction of zebrafish. The study was carried out with 192 six months old animals. The experimental period was three months, being evaluated the growth, the hepatosomatic and viscerosomatic indexes, the number of hepatocytes per area and the percentage of glycogen in these cells, performing the hepatic histology of males and females. It was evaluated the reproduction of the animals, checking the production and probability of hatching of the eggs. It was found that homeopathy increases the number of hepatocytes and glycogen in females, as well as improved the reproductive indices evaluated.

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The use of animal models in homeopathic research – a review of 2010–2014 PubMed indexed papers

Abstract: In our updated review of the past 5 years, we found further demonstrations of the biological effects of homeopathy using more refined animal models and in vitro techniques.

Cited by 25 publications

References 54 publications

The Spatial Homeostasis Hypothesis

The Spatial Homeostasis Hypothesis

Effects of Homeopathic Phosphorus on Encephalitozoon cuniculi-Infected Macrophages In-Vitro

Homeopathy improves production and hatching probability of zebrafish eggs

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