BACKGROUND: One of the cardinal principles of homeopathy is the "law of similarities", according to which @entity1 can be treated by administering substances which, when tested in healthy subjects, cause symptoms that are similar to those presented by the @entity1 themselves. Over the last few years, there has been an increase in the number of pre-clinical (in vitro and animal) studies aimed at evaluating the pharmacological activity or efficacy of some homeopathic remedies under potentially reproducible conditions. However, in addition to some contradictory results, these studies have also highlighted a series of methodological difficulties.The present study was designed to explore the possibility to test in a controlled way the effects of homeopathic remedies on two known experimental models of acute @entity32 in the @entity35 . To this aim, the study considered six different remedies indicated by homeopathic practice for this type of symptom in two experimental @entity4 models (carrageenan- and autologous blood-induced @entity4 ), using two treatment administration routes (sub-plantar injection and oral administration). METHODS: In a first phase, the different remedies were tested in the four experimental conditions, following a single-blind (measurement) procedure. In a second phase, some of the remedies (in the same and in different dilutions) were tested by oral administration in the carrageenan-induced @entity4 , under double-blind (treatment administration and measurement) and fully randomized conditions. Seven-hundred-twenty male @entity35 weighing 170-180 g were used. Six homeopathic remedies (Arnica montana D4, @entity5157 D4, D30, @entity14703 D4, Hamamelis virginiana D4, Lachesis D6, D30, @entity3151 D6, D30), saline and @entity3352 were tested. @entity4 was measured using a water-based plethysmometer, before and at different times after @entity4 induction. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and Student t test. RESULTS: In the first phase of experiments, some statistically significant effects of homeopathic remedies (Apis, Lachesis and Phosporus) were observed (the reduction in paw volume increase ranging from 10% to 28% at different times since @entity4 induction). In the second phase of experiments, the effects of homeopathic remedies were not confirmed. On the contrary, the unblinded standard allopathic drug @entity3352 exhibited its anti-inflammatory effect in both experimental phases (the reduction in paw volume increase ranging from 14% to 40% in the first phase, and from 18% to 38% in the second phase of experiments). CONCLUSION: The discrepancies between single-blind and double-blind methods in animal pharmacological research are noteworthy and should be better investigated, also in non-homeopathic research.

@entity35 models of acute XXXX : a randomized controlled study on the effects of homeopathic remedies.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity32 :: ('MESH:D007249', 'Disease') :: ['inflammation'] @entity4 :: ('MESH:D004487', 'Disease') :: ['edema', 'Edema'] @entity14703 :: ('33113', 'Species') :: ['Atropa belladonna'] @entity3352 :: ('MESH:D007213', 'Chemical') :: ['indomethacin'] @entity35 :: ('10116', 'Species') :: ['rat', 'Sprague Dawley rats'] @entity3151 :: ('MESH:D010758', 'Chemical') :: ['Phosphorus'] @entity5157 :: ('7460', 'Species') :: ['Apis mellifica']
@entity32 :: (MESH:D007249,Disease) :: ['inflammation']
