Apitoxin or Melittin induces analgesia and reduces Neuroinflammation in Rat Neuropathic Pain Model

Neuropathic pain, a form of chronic pain that arises from damage or disease of the somatosensory system, is particularly challenging to manage. Despite the variability of pharmacological approaches none of them offer complete relief, and some induce undesirable effects. Consequently, it is necessary a constant chase for novel pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to address this issue. An alternative approach is the use of integrative and complementary practices like pharmacoacupuncture – the application of compounds at acupoints. This technique combined with apitoxin injection at the E36 acupoint is attracting attention, however limited research examines its effectiveness and analgesic mechanisms. Our goal was to assess apitoxin’s analgesic effect on neuropathic pain, to evaluate if melittin, apitoxin’s major component, can replicate it, to explore involved pathways, and to study muscle tissue changes post-toxin injections.