Oral administration of tetrahydrocurcumin entrapped hybrid colloid as a food additive ameliorates atopic dermatitis

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory disease that is primarily characterized by pruritus. AD is a multifactorial disease related to epidermal barrier disruption, which mainly occurs during infancy and childhood. Although AD is usually associated with multiple causes, including elevated IgE levels and environmental factors, the pathogenesis and etiology of AD are not fully understood. Tetrahydrocurcumin (THC) is a major metabolite of curcumin, which has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, chemopreventive, anti-bacterial, anti-dyslipidemic, and anti-aging activities, and is known to be effective against AD symptoms. To improve the efficiency of delivery in vivo, we synthesized a tetrahydrocurcumin-entrapped calcium carbonate hybrid colloid (TCCHC). To elucidate the efficacy of the TCCHC in an AD mouse model, we determined for the first time, whether TCCHC can attenuate AD in an in vivo NC/Nga mouse model. When applied subcutaneously into NC/Nga mice repeatedly treated with house dust mite antigens, TCCHC could reduce symptoms, such as clinical score, serum IgE levels, ear thickness, mast cell infiltration, and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and CD86+ cells in skin lesions. TCCHC also significantly reduced the gene expression of various inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, and IL-13 in the serum of Nc/Nga mice. Altogether, these results suggest that TCCHC can alleviate the symptoms of AD and is a promising food additive for AD patients.

Keywords

• Atopic dermatitis
• Food additive
• Tetrahydrocurcumin
• Calcium carbonate
• Hybrid colloid