🪱 A parasitic worm may hold the key to new painkillers.

Schistosoma mansoni, a worm that infects humans through the skin, has a remarkable trick: it can turn off pain. Instead of triggering burning or stinging when it enters, it slips in silently. Researchers have now discovered how—it releases molecules that suppress TRPV1+ neurons, the same nerve cells that detect pain, heat, and even launch immune responses like inflammation.

By shutting down these neurons, the worm not only prevents discomfort but also weakens the body’s natural defenses, giving itself time to establish infection.

In experiments at Tulane University, mice infected with the worm showed dulled responses to heat and reduced immune reactions when exposed to capsaicin (the compound that makes chili peppers burn). This strongly suggests that the worm actively blocks pain-sensing neurons to its advantage.

The discovery opens exciting possibilities:

🔹 Designing new non-opioid painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs that mimic the worm’s molecules.

🔹 Developing preventative treatments that activate these neurons before exposure, possibly with a topical cream, to block infection.

But there’s a catch—turning off immune responses could have unintended risks, so scientists stress the need for much more research before clinical use.

📖 Source: Juan M Inclan-Rico et al., The Journal of Immunology, 2025.