Melittin attenuates imiquimod-induced psoriatic dermatitis in mice: a role for autophagy activation via PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway suppression.

Hafez SA, Ahmed AA, Elkhoely A, Ahmed AAE · 2026 · Saudi pharmaceutical journal · Atlas ID HAFEZ2026

What this study shows

Melittin (bee venom, 80 mg/kg i.p.) reduces psoriatic dermatitis severity by 60% in an imiquimod mouse model by suppressing PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling and activating autophagy.

Abstract

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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. Mice were divided into 5 groups: Control, Imiquimod (IMQ), methotrexate (MTX, 1 mg/kg), melittin (40 mg/kg), or melittin (80 mg/kg). All groups except the control received topical IMQ for seven days.

Read the full abstract on PubMed →

At a glance

Evidence type	A Animal model Marked A because it is an animal intervention or observation study measuring an organismal outcome (model: Mouse (psoriasis model)); the code names the system studied -- animal work can be rigorous and still not be human data.
Study type	4 - Animal Study
Model system	Mouse (psoriasis model)
Journal	Saudi pharmaceutical journal
Year	2026
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-10-01
Source	DOI 10.1007/s44446-026-00105-y · PMID 42560464 · Free full text (PMC13447632)

Extracted findings

These fields were extracted from the paper with AI assistance and have not been checked against the source. Read them as a pointer into the paper, not as curated claims; where they disagree with the curated summary above, the curated summary stands.

Intervention	Melittin
Target	PI3K/Akt/mTOR
Model	Mouse
Effect	Reduces psoriatic inflammation via mTOR suppression and autophagy activation

In the Atlas

Cite this paper

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Hafez, S. A., Ahmed, A. A., Elkhoely, A., & Ahmed, A. A. E. (2026). Melittin attenuates imiquimod-induced psoriatic dermatitis in mice: a role for autophagy activation via PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway suppression. Saudi pharmaceutical journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44446-026-00105-y

@article{HAFEZ2026,
  author       = {Hafez, S. A. and Ahmed, A. A. and Elkhoely, A. and Ahmed, A. A. E.},
  title        = {{Melittin attenuates imiquimod-induced psoriatic dermatitis in mice: a role for autophagy activation via PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway suppression}},
  journal      = {Saudi pharmaceutical journal},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {10.1007/s44446-026-00105-y},
  note         = {PMID: 42560464},
}

Cite this Atlas record

The record is the Atlas's own work — the evidence label, the extracted findings and the links. It is cited as part of the dataset, not as the paper.

Barton, O. (2026). Oliver's mTOR Atlas (record HAFEZ2026) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/HAFEZ2026/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_HAFEZ2026,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record HAFEZ2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/HAFEZ2026/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}

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