Intraplantar injection of melittin has been known to induce sustained decrease of mechanical threshold and increase of spontaneous flinchings. The present study was undertaken to investigate how the melittin-induced nociceptive responses were modulated by changes of metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) activity. Changes in paw withdrawal threshold (PWT), number of flinchings and paw thickness were measured at a given time point after injection of melittin (10Ռg/paw) into the mid-plantar area of rat hindpaw. To observe the effects of mGluRs on the melittin-induced nociceptions, group I mGluR (AIDA, 100Ռg and 200Ռg), mGluR1 (LY367385, 50Ռg and 100Ռg) and mGluR5 (MPEP, 200Ռg and 300Ռg) antagonists, group II (APDC, 100Ռg and 200Ռg) and III (L-SOP, 100Ռg and 200Ռg) agonists were intrathecally administered 20 min before melittin injection. Intraplantar injection of melittin induced a sustained decrease of mechanical threshold, spontaneous flinchings and edema. The effects of melittin to reduce mechanical threshold and to induce spontaneous flinchings were significantly suppressed following intrathecal pre-administration of group I mGluR, mGluR1 and mGluR5 antagonists, group II and III mGluR agonists. Group I mGluR antagonists and group II and III mGluR agonists had no significant effect on melittin-induced edema. These experimental findings indicate that multiple spinal mGluRs are involved in the modulation of melittin-induced nociceptive responses.