ABSTRACT

The long time comes to apitoxin being used as a potent anti rheumatic. In this study, we sought to use the complex substance, enshrined in an experimental model of arthritis induced by the literature. The ultrasound was used as a vehicle for apitoxin in the arthritic joint. For this purpose, we used animals, Wistar rats, in a model where arthritis was induced by inoculation in the knee joint with zymosan. The animals were divided into groups: GI (positive control), GII (negative control), GIII (group treated with topical apitoxin), GIV (treated group with ultrasound) and GV (group treated with phonophoresis), established after induced arthritis. With 21 days of treatment the animals were anesthetized with ketamine and xylazine, their knees were radiographic images, the temperatures collected and euthanized. The RX films were processed by Image J software to collect intra-articular distance of the femur and tibia. Distance was compared to articulate and temperature of each animal. Group I of 0.15 mm and average temperature of 35.7 ° C, group II had an average space of 0.03 mm and intraarticular temperature of 38.2, III, a distance of 0.4 mm and average temperature of 37.8 °. Group IV the average distance to articulate and temperature were 0.6 mm and 36.7 ° C for the group V was observed average values of intraarticular space of 0.78 mm and temperature of 36.2 ° C. We conclude that ultrasound combined with apitoxin via phonophoresis, was efficient in tissue repair and subsequent regeneration of articular contours when compared only with the application of ultrasound or topical apitoxin.