Role of antioxidants in itch treatment: lessons learned from pain management

Abstract

Chronic pain and chronic pruritus are both debilitating conditions that cause a significant burden to patients. Oxidative stress—driven by an imbalance between reactive oxygen species and antioxidants—has been shown to play a role both in pain disorders and conditions in which chronic itch is a prominent symptom. Antioxidants can be useful in treating oxidative stress-driven diseases and have shown promise in treating chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis. However, their role in treating pruritus and pruritic conditions such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis remains unclear. Many of the current treatments for chronic itch are costly, associated with side effects, and have limited efficacy. Therefore, further controlled studies exploring antioxidants as a potential therapeutic option for chronic pruritus are warranted.