A new therapeutic approach for bone metastasis in colorectal cancer: intratumoral melittin

Background: Melittin has shown antiproliferative effects on tumor cells. Therefore, it comprises a valuable compound for studies on cancer treatment. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have reported melittin effects on bone metastasis. Herein, we propose an approach based on intrametastatic melittin injection to treat bone metastases in colorectal cancer. Methods: Following the characterization of melittin and antiproliferative tests in vitro, a single dose was injected through intrametastatic route into the mouse bone metastasis model. Following treatment, metastasis growth was evaluated. Results: A single dose of melittin was able to inhibit metastasis growth. Histological analysis showed necrosis and inflammatory processes in melittin-treated metastasis. Except by mild weight loss, no other systemic effects were observed. Conclusion: Our data suggest that melittin might be a promising agent for the future development of treatment strategies aiming to reduce the metastasis skeletal-related impact in colorectal cancer patients with bone metastasis.

Automated summary

This study investigated the effects of melittin on bone metastasis in colorectal cancer and found that melittin could inhibit metastasis growth, induce necrosis and inflammatory processes, and had no significant side effects. This suggests that melittin may be a promising agent for reducing skeletal-related impact in colorectal cancer patients with bone metastasis.