Systemic contact dermatitis induced by Rhus allergens in Korea: exercising caution in the consumption of this nutritious food.

Systemic contact dermatitis (SCD) develops when a person who was previously sensitized to an allergen is exposed to the same allergen via the systemic route. In East Asia, the use of lacquer for polishing furniture is common and a part of the traditional culture. Contact exposure to tableware polished with Rhus lacquer may lead to sensitization. In Korea, SCD is commonly observed after systemic exposure to Rhus, a nutritious food item consumed because of the common belief of it improving the immune system. In this study, we reviewed the medical records of 21 Korean patients with SCD caused by Rhus ingestion. We found that the most significant epidemiological factor for SCD was the season of the year. Furthermore, 66.67% of the patients presented with leucocytosis and 23.81% showed increased liver enzyme levels. It is important to educate people on the risks associated with the systemic ingestion of Rhus.

Potential Efficacy of Allergen Removed Rhus Verniciflua Stokes Extract to Maintain Progression-Free Survival of Patients With Advanced Hepatobiliary Cancer.

Hepatobiliary cancers are among the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Most of the early-stage, surgically resectable cases show recurrence, and when they do, the prognosis is dismal with limited available treatment options. Here, we report three patients with relapsed hepatobiliary cancers who presented relatively long progression-free survival with the administration of a natural product, allergen removed Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RVS) extract. After commencement of RVS extract, they were progression-free for over 56 months in one case of recurred cholangiocarcinoma, and for over 16 and 114 months respectively, in two cases of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. These cases suggest that the RVS extract could be a potential alternative for advanced hepatobiliary cancer that has no other available treatment.

Sulfuretin isolated from heartwood of Rhus verniciflua inhibits LPS-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, and pro-inflammatory cytokines expression via the down-regulation of NF-kappaB in RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells.

It has been reported that Rhusverniciflua exhibits anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-cancer activities. However, little is known about biological activity of sulfuretin, a flavonoid isolated from R.verniciflua. In the present study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effect and the underlying molecular mechanisms of sulfuretin in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells. Sulfuretin dose-dependently reduced the productions of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) induced by LPS. Consistent with these findings, sulfuretin significantly suppressed the LPS-induced expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), TNF-alpha, and IL-1 beta. In addition, sulfuretin attenuated LPS-induced DNA binding and the transcriptional activities of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB), which was accompanied by a parallel reduction of degradation and phosphorylation of inhibitory kappa B-alpha (I kappaB-alpha) and consequently by decreased nuclear translocation of p65 subunit of NF-kappaB. Furthermore, pretreatment with sulfuretin significantly inhibited the LPS-stimulated activation of I kappaB kinase beta (IKK beta). Taken together, these results suggest that the anti-inflammatory effect of sulfuretin in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages is associated with the suppression of NF-kappaB transcriptional activity via the inhibitory regulation of IKKbeta phosphorylation.