Fusco Antimo, Perrone Michela, Ricciardi Federica, Morace Andrea Maria, Bonsale Roozbe, Teweldemedhin Milena Melake, Di Martino Emanuele, Limongelli Rebecca, Papa Alfonso, Maione Sabatino, Guida Francesca, Luongo Livio
Department of Experimental Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy.
Department of Pain Management-AO "Ospedale dei Colli"-Monaldi Hospital, Naples, Italy.
Front Pharmacol. 2024 Dec 3;15:1508107. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1508107. eCollection 2024.
Vulvodynia is a chronic pain condition that affects the vulvar area, often resulting in significant discomfort and a reduced quality of life. Current treatments for vulvodynia are limited, and there is a need for more effective therapeutic options. Acmella oleracea, known for its spilanthol content, and Boswellia serrata, rich in boswellic acids, have been explored for their potential analgesic properties in pain management. In this study, vulvodynia-like symptoms were induced in female mice using Complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). After the induction of symptoms, the mice were treated with a combination of Acmella oleracea and Boswellia serrata extracts (AO + BS). Behavioral pain assessments were conducted to monitor the effects of the treatment. Additionally, biochemical and functional evaluations were performed to measure spinal microgliosis and neuronal overexcitation. The combination of Acmella oleracea and Boswellia serrata (AO + BS) resulted in a significant reduction of vulvar hypersensitivity in mice. Besides alleviating pain, AO + BS therapy also reduced spinal microgliosis and neuronal overexcitation in mice with vulvodynia. The findings suggest that the AO + BS combination has the potential to alleviate vulvodynia associated pain through mechanisms involving the reduction of spinal microgliosis and neuronal overexcitation. These results point to the therapeutic promise of these plant extracts for chronic pain conditions like vulvodynia. The combination of Acmella oleracea and Boswellia serrata shows potential as a treatment for vulvodynia. However, further studies are needed to explore the underlying mechanisms and to optimize the dosage for clinical use.
外阴痛是一种影响外阴区域的慢性疼痛病症，常导致显著不适并降低生活质量。目前针对外阴痛的治疗方法有限，因此需要更有效的治疗选择。以含有尖刺醇而闻名的金钮扣和富含乳香酸的乳香，已因其在疼痛管理中的潜在镇痛特性而得到研究。在本研究中，使用完全弗氏佐剂（CFA）在雌性小鼠中诱导出类似外阴痛的症状。在症状诱导后，用金钮扣和乳香提取物的组合（AO + BS）对小鼠进行治疗。进行行为疼痛评估以监测治疗效果。此外，还进行了生化和功能评估，以测量脊髓小胶质细胞增生和神经元过度兴奋。金钮扣和乳香的组合（AO + BS）使小鼠的外阴超敏反应显著减轻。除了减轻疼痛外，AO + BS疗法还减少了患有外阴痛的小鼠的脊髓小胶质细胞增生和神经元过度兴奋。研究结果表明，AO + BS组合有可能通过减少脊髓小胶质细胞增生和神经元过度兴奋的机制来减轻与外阴痛相关的疼痛。这些结果表明这些植物提取物对外阴痛等慢性疼痛病症具有治疗前景。金钮扣和乳香的组合显示出作为外阴痛治疗方法的潜力。然而，需要进一步研究以探索其潜在机制并优化临床使用剂量。
