New pathways identified to reduce pain and depressive symptoms associated with fibromyalgia

by Autonomous University of Barcelona

edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Andrew Zinin

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Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition affecting between 2% and 6% of the global population, characterized by widespread, persistent pain often associated with fatigue, sleep disturbances, cognitive difficulties and affective symptoms. Despite its high prevalence—particularly among women—the mechanisms contributing to the development and persistence of the disease are not yet fully understood.

To investigate possible factors involved in these symptoms, a research team from the INc-UAB and IR Sant Pau worked with male and female mice in which symptoms similar to fibromyalgia were induced. The animals exhibited increased sensitivity to touch, heat and cold, as well as behaviors associated with a depressive state. The paper is published in the journal Antioxidants.

The team wanted to study the role of oxidative stress and inflammation in these processes and treated the animals with dimethyl fumarate or cobalt protoporphyrin IX, two compounds capable of bolstering the body's defenses against oxidative stress but acting through different mechanisms. According to the results, both treatments reduced pain hypersensitivity and improved behaviors associated with a depressive state. Dimethyl fumarate, however, produced a more pronounced and faster response.

The researchers also analyzed molecular-level changes in the animals' brains and spinal cords. They observed that the treatments modulated various mechanisms related to oxidative balance, inflammation and neuronal plasticity. These effects varied across different areas of the nervous system and between the two treatments. Dimethyl fumarate elicited a broader molecular response, whereas cobalt protoporphyrin IX showed a more specific profile.

According to the researchers, these differences suggest that nociplastic pain—the type of pain arising from altered signal processing in the nervous system, as seen in fibromyalgia—is not linked to a uniform disruption of oxidative balance throughout the nervous system. Rather, specific changes occur depending on the brain or spinal cord region. The description of these differences in the article could help improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the pain and emotional disturbances observed in patients.

The study also took into account differences between males and females. Both sexes responded to the two treatments in terms of pain hypersensitivity and behaviors associated with a depressive state, but recovery was slower in females for some pain parameters.

"Our results suggest that boosting the body's natural defense mechanisms against oxidative stress could be a promising avenue for modulating both the pain and the affective disturbances associated with fibromyalgia. Furthermore, the fact that one of the compounds studied—dimethyl fumarate—is a drug already used in clinical practice to treat multiple sclerosis opens up a particularly interesting translational perspective," explains Dr. Olga Pol, study coordinator and researcher at INc-UAB and IR Sant Pau.

The authors point out that the results were obtained in an animal model and therefore cannot be directly extrapolated to people with fibromyalgia. Nevertheless, they may help pave the way for research into pathways related to cellular antioxidant protection as potential targets for developing new treatments for chronic pain and associated affective symptoms.

Publication details

Sylmara Esther Negrini-Ferrari et al, Dimethyl Fumarate and Cobalt Protoporphyrin IX Inhibit Fibromyalgia-like Pain by Modulating Region-Specific Redox Pathways, Antioxidants (2026). DOI: 10.3390/antiox15091080

Journal information: Antioxidants

Key medical concepts

FibromyalgiaDimethyl FumarateOxidative Stress

Clinical categories

NeurologyPsychology & Mental health Provided by Autonomous University of Barcelona Who's behind this story?

Gaby Clark

MA in English, copy editor since 2021 with experience in higher education and health content. Dedicated to trustworthy science news. Full profile →

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