ArticleSaudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society2026
Melittin attenuates imiquimod-induced psoriatic dermatitis in mice: a role for autophagy activation via PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway suppression.
Article in Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Despite multiple therapeutic strategies, a significant proportion of psoriatic patients fail to achieve complete/sustained disease clearance, highlighting the need for effective adjuvant or alternative therapy. Melittin, the main component in bee venom, exhibits valuable anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties in various diseases; meanwhile, its effect on psoriasis has not been explored yet. Our study aims to investigate the anti-psoriatic effect of melittin with possible involvement of phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) and the autophagy pathways. Mice were divided into 5 groups: Control group, Imiquimod (IMQ) group, and groups (3-5) received daily intraperitoneal injections of methotrexate (MTX, 1 mg/kg), melittin (40 mg/kg), or melittin (80 mg/kg), respectively. All groups except the control received topical IMQ for seven days. Melittin 80 demonstrated superior efficacy, significantly reducing the clinical Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score by 60% and epidermal thickening by 58.55%. Mel 80 decreased malondialdehyde by 62.32%, increased glutathione by 1.44-fold, and reduced nuclear factor-kappa B p65, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6, IL-23, and IL-17 levels by 72.10%, 83.70%, 61.54%, and 58.09%, 64.55%, and 55.19%, indicating suppression of the pathogenic IL-23/IL-17 axis. Furthermore, Melittin 80 inhibited PI3K/Akt pathway, decreasing p-Akt and PI3K by 50.88% and 57.30%, leading to downregulation of phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR) by 58.53% and a 3.01-fold increase in Beclin-1, indicating restored autophagy. Epidermal proliferation was reduced, with a 58.80% reduction in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor and 46.51% reduction in Ki67 expression. These results suggest that melittin may represent a promising antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent for psoriasis, acting through PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway inhibition and autophagy restoration.
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