This randomized controlled trial evaluated purified honey bee venom dermal injections for knee osteoarthritis. The results reported a highly significant improvement over control in WOMAC pain after 12 weeks, with the effect sustained 4 weeks after treatment. Physical function also improved significantly, and the overall safety profile was comparable between groups, although injection-site reactions were more common.

The review states that the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with wasp venom is currently rare, but several studies have found that this treatment has a beneficial effect. It then cites studies on bee and wasp venom mechanisms in inflammatory arthritis. This is direct support that venom from wasps has been investigated for beneficial anti-arthritic effects, though not specifically osteoarthritis in a joint.

The authors report that one randomized controlled trial and one uncontrolled trial were found for osteoarthritis. They state that bee venom acupuncture in knee arthritis was effective and that the randomized trial investigated whether direct administration of bee venom into an acupoint was clinically effective and safe for relieving pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

The results suggested that various doses of WV (0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 mg/kg) significantly alleviated paw swelling and arthritis score in CIA rats with the untreated control (P < 0.05). WV (0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg) relieved synovial tissue lesions of ankle joints and histopathology scores of synoviocyte hyperplasia and inflammatory cell infiltration with vehicle group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, these findings demonstrated that WV exhibited antiarthritic activity, which might be associated with their inhibitory action on IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-8, IL-6, COX-2, and PGE2 levels in rat serum. This study is an animal model of inflammatory arthritis (CIA rats), not osteoarthritis in a specific joint in humans.

This experimental study in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats evaluated the effects of wasp venom (WV). "Various doses of WV (0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 mg/kg) significantly alleviated paw swelling and arthritis score in CIA rats with the untreated control (P < 0.05)." The authors conclude: "These findings demonstrated that WV exhibited antiarthritic activity, which might be associated with their inhibitory effects on immunoregulation and anti-inflammatory action." The study is preclinical (rats), not a clinical trial in humans with osteoarthritis.

This systematic review found that 20 articles with 1,536 participants met inclusion criteria. It reports that 12 pharmacopuncture trials and 8 bee venom acupuncture trials showed significant improvement versus sham treatment, western medicine, or other Korean medicine treatments. The paper concludes that these findings showed certain efficacy and safety for bee venom approaches in knee osteoarthritis.

Emerging evidence has demonstrated that the isolated compounds from wasp venom have a positive effect on anti-cancer, anti-inflammation, anti-coagulant and anti-microbial activities. Furthermore, WV alleviates the expressions of proinflammatory factors and has immunoregulation effect in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats in vivo (Gao et al., 2020). Ni et al. investigated the mechanism of wasp venom (WV) against rheumatoid arthritis and discovered that WV and WV-II induce the accumulation of lipid ROS by suppressing GPX4 expression, modulating iron metabolism, and suppressing inflammation and cell proliferation in MH7A cells. The paper focuses on rheumatoid arthritis and experimental models; it does not present clinical trials showing beneficial effects of wasp stings on osteoarthritis in a specific joint.

Taken together, the experimental results revealed that WV and WV-II were potential therapeutic agents for RA through modulating JAK/STAT signaling pathways, redox homeostasis and ferroptosis in MH7A cells. These are in vitro experiments on rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes, not clinical studies of osteoarthritis, and involve purified venom components rather than uncontrolled wasp stings to a specific joint.

This systematic review of randomized controlled trials reports that bee venom therapy is used for musculoskeletal diseases, including arthritis, because of anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. It notes that bee venom acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis was tested in one randomized controlled trial, and that various WOMAC scores improved.

Multiple studies have demonstrated that similar to BV, WV can exert pain-relieving and anti-arthritic activities. Moreover, BV and V. tropica venom have been reported to suppress the inflammatory response in microglial cells. In conclusion, the findings of this study demonstrated that WV from V. velutina inhibited LPS-induced inflammation in BV-2 microglial cells by suppressing the NF-κB-mediated signaling pathway. This work is a cell-based study of neuroinflammation; it does not show clinical benefits of wasp stings for osteoarthritis in humans.

The study aimed to determine whether bee venom administered directly into an acupoint was effective and safe for relieving pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis compared with traditional needle acupuncture. The abstract reports that a significantly higher proportion of patients receiving bee venom acupuncture had substantial pain relief, and the infrared thermography score also improved.

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of bee venom pharmacopuncture (BVP) therapy according to the methods used to treat knee osteoarthritis (OA): intra-acupoint combined with intra-articular injection, intra-acupoint injection, and intra-articular injection. All three groups exhibited significant VAS and KWOMAC effects. However, when the groups were compared, no statistically significant differences in VAS and KWOMAC were noted, but when improvement was considered, the results showed that intra-articular injection was more effective than intra-acupoint injection.

The aim of this study was to investigate bee venom and hyaluronic acid in the intra-articular treatment of osteoarthritis in an experimental rabbit model. Radiologically, a significant difference was observed in the HA group (P<0.05). No significant differences were seen between the groups, biochemically. Consequently, intra-articular application of HA and BV for experimental model of osteoarthritis has no significant influence upon recovery after therapy.

Bee venom, known for its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, has been considered as a potential therapy. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate a significant improvement in the NRS, 5xSST, and WOMAC scales after the administration of live bee venom for knee osteoarthritis patients. The potential mechanisms of action of bee venom in arthritis include its anti-inflammatory effects and modulation of intracellular signal transduction. This short-term study examines apipuncture with live bee stings for knee osteoarthritis; it does not involve wasp venom or other joints, and safety/long-term efficacy remain to be established.

The article states that several randomized, placebo-controlled trials have examined bee venom therapy for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. It describes a knee osteoarthritis trial in which more than 82% of patients treated with bee venom reported substantial pain relief, compared with 55% in the acupuncture control group.

Wasp venom, on the other hand, regulates synovial cell apoptosis via the Bax/Bcl-2 signaling pathway, inhibits the JAK/STAT signaling pathway to reduce inflammation production, and also ameliorates joint inflammation by regulating redox balance and iron death in synovial cells. Research has demonstrated that extracts from wasp venom exhibit superior anti-arthritic effects in CIA rats, which can be attributed to their immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. The review summarizes preclinical data on bee and wasp venom in arthritis, but notes that most evidence is experimental and that more rigorous clinical trials are needed to establish therapeutic use in humans.

The purpose of this study is to compare the safety and efficacy of bee venom therapy with placebo in subjects with osteoarthritis of the knee. Procedure: Injecting bee venom as a treatment for OA. The study NCT00253942 is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial designed to evaluate bee venom injections into the affected knee joint for osteoarthritis symptoms.

Treatment of LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells with either WV at ≥5 µg/mL or BV at ≥1 µg/mL significantly decreased NO production. In addition, WV at >20 µg/mL or BV at ≥0.5 µg/mL reduced the levels of proinflammatory cytokines TNFα and IL-6 secreted from LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells. These data demonstrate anti-inflammatory effects of wasp venom in microglial cells; they do not constitute clinical evidence that wasp stings are beneficial for osteoarthritis in any joint.

This evidence-based review of venom immunotherapy (PhVIT) focuses on preventing allergic reactions to bee and wasp stings, not treating arthritis. It concludes: "Therefore, conclusions regarding the clinical effectiveness of PhVIT to reduce the rate of future systemic reactions in patients with a history of bee and/or wasp allergic reaction cannot be drawn with any confidence." It also notes that adverse reactions are generally minor. While it deals with therapeutic use of wasp venom (via immunotherapy), it provides **no evidence** that wasp stings or venom are used clinically to treat osteoarthritis in a joint.

There is some evidence that bee venom could have anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic effects in animals. Indeed, human studies investigating bee venom therapy for arthritis show mixed results. Bee venom therapy remains an experimental treatment option for arthritis. Although some evidence suggests that bee venom therapy could help manage arthritis, more large-scale, high-quality clinical trials are necessary to confirm its effectiveness. The article discusses bee venom, not wasp venom, and emphasizes that stings/venom therapies for arthritis are still experimental and not established treatments.

We conclude that ultrasound combined with apitoxin via phonophoresis was efficient in tissue repair and subsequent regeneration of joint contours when compared with ultrasound or topical apitoxin alone. The study evaluated the transport of apitoxin (bee venom) into arthritic joints using ultrasound waves, suggesting a potential therapeutic effect on joint structures affected by arthritis.

Research on the efficacy of bee venom therapy for arthritis has yielded mixed results. Some studies and clinical trials have reported positive outcomes, while others have suggested limited benefits. Osteoarthritis (OA): The application of bee venom for osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease, has also been investigated. Studies have indicated potential benefits, including pain reduction and improved physical function, although the evidence is not yet conclusive. It is important to note that the available evidence is still evolving, and further research is needed to establish the safety and effectiveness of bee venom therapy for arthritis. This overview again pertains to bee venom in controlled therapeutic settings, not to wasp stings and not to a specific joint beyond examples such as the knee.

This patient discussion thread cites research on bee stings being beneficial for polymyalgia rheumatica and inflammatory arthritis. One quoted study: "Over the course of 8 weeks, one group received the drug treatment, and the other received 5–15 bee stings every other day. Both groups showed a reduction in their arthritis symptoms, with no significant difference between the groups." The poster critiques the study’s flaws: "study was not double-blind and did not compare the treatment effects with those of a placebo. This greatly reduces the reliability of the results." The discussion reflects mixed and limited evidence for bee sting therapy; it does not reference wasp stings or targeted osteoarthritis treatment in a single joint.

This local news segment reports on an ongoing clinical trial using purified honeybee venom for arthritis, including knee osteoarthritis. The reporter explains: "we inject it locally in the knees of patients that are affected with osteoarthritis and monitor them for months" and that the product is a standardized purified venom preparation used in a formal trial. The mechanism is described as targeting inflammation, though "nobody is really sure on exactly the mechanism of the honeybee venom." This is secondary coverage of a bee venom knee osteoarthritis trial; it does not involve wasp stings or demonstrate long-term clinical benefit.

Current preclinical research shows that wasp venom has anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects in animal models of autoimmune arthritis, and that bee venom injections (including intra-articular injections into knee joints) have been studied clinically for osteoarthritis pain and function. However, no high-quality human clinical trials have yet demonstrated that intra-articular wasp venom injections into a specific joint are an established, safe, and effective treatment for osteoarthritis; existing evidence for wasp venom is limited to experimental models, while intra-articular therapy for osteoarthritis in humans has focused on bee venom rather than wasp venom.

The page says that a single-blind randomized controlled trial will investigate whether bee venom phonophoresis improves pain and mobility in knee osteoarthritis compared with placebo phonophoresis. This is a trial registration-style listing, not results, but it shows ongoing clinical investigation of bee venom for knee OA.

The review notes that recent work has found evidence that bee venom may help with arthritis symptoms, but it also says more research is needed to determine benefits, administration methods, and risks. It refers mainly to rheumatoid arthritis and does not provide direct evidence for osteoarthritis in a specific joint.