Abstract
BackgroundJaun-ointment (JO), also known as Shiunko in Japan, is one of the most popular medicinal formulae used in Korean traditional medicine for the external treatment of skin wound and inflammatory skin conditions. Since JO is composed of crude mixture of two herbal extracts (radix of Lithospermum erythrorhizon Siebold & Zucc and Angelica gigas Nakai), those been proved its anti-inflammatory activities in-vitro and in-vivo, JO has been expected as a good alternative treatment option for atopic dermatitis (AD). However, due to the lack of strategies for the penetrating methods of JO’s various anti-inflammatory elements into the skin, an effective and safe transdermal drug delivery system needs to be determined. Here, low-temperature argon plasma (LTAP) was adopted as an ancillary partner of topically applied JO in a mice model of AD and the effectiveness was examined.MethodsDorsal skins of NC/Nga mice were challenged with DNCB (2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene) to induce AD. AD-like skin lesions were treated with JO alone, or in combination with LTAP. Inflammatory activity in the skin tissues was evaluated by histological analysis and several molecular biological tests.ResultsLTAP enhanced the effect of JO on AD-like skin lesion. Topical application of JO partially inhibited the development of DNCB-induced AD, shown by the moderate reduction of eosinophil homing and pro-inflammatory cytokine level. Combined treatment of JO and LTAP dramatically inhibited AD phenotypes. Interestingly, treatment with JO alone did not affect the activity of nuclear factor (NF)κB/RelA in the skin, but combined treatment of LTAP-JO blocked DCNB-mediated NFκB/RelA activation.ConclusionsLTAP markedly enhanced the anti-inflammatory activity of JO on AD-like skin lesions. The effect of LTAP may be attributed to enhancement of drug penetration and regulation of NFκB activity. Therefore, the combination treatment of JO and LTAP could be a potential strategy for the treatment of AD.
Highlights
Jaun-ointment (JO), known as Shiunko in Japan, is one of the most popular medicinal formulae used in Korean traditional medicine for the external treatment of skin wound and inflammatory skin conditions
The risk of prolonged use of these drugs has been demonstrated in several studies [4, 5] and they are used with caution nowadays
The 60.6 g of Angelica gigas radix and the 72.7 g of Lithospermum erythrorhizon radix were added to the vehicle mixture and heated at temperature 140 °C on heating stirrer till the color turns into the red-violet
Summary
Jaun-ointment (JO), known as Shiunko in Japan, is one of the most popular medicinal formulae used in Korean traditional medicine for the external treatment of skin wound and inflammatory skin conditions. Treatments can reduce the severity and control the symptoms, and are divided into three groups: anti-inflammatory drugs, skin-barrier reconstructing creams, and physical approaches. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as corticosteroids and calmodulin inhibitors are considered as the first line of treatment, owing to their established effectiveness [3]. These drugs control the development of AD by inhibiting several immune responses. Combination treatments of anti-inflammatory drugs with other therapeutic options are frequently adopted to minimize drug dosage and risk associated with chronic use [11, 12]
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