ABSTRACT
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the most common skin diseases with inflammation, chronic relapses, and intense pruritus. Its pathogenesis includes genetic susceptibility, an abnormal epidermal lipid barrier, and an increased production of IgE due to immune dysregulation. Recently, AD has been reported to be associated with intestinal inflammation and dysbiosis in human and murine models. Various probiotics are being used to control intestinal dysbiosis and inflammatory reactions. However, it is difficult to predict or determine the therapeutic effects of the probiotics, since it is rare for clinicians to use the probiotics alone to treat AD. It is also difficult to check whether the intestinal inflammation in patients with AD has improved since probiotic treatment. The aim of the present study was to determine whether mice with induced atopic dermatitis had any changes in fecal calprotectin, an indicator of intestinal inflammation, after probiotic administration. Our results showed that the fecal calprotectin levels in mice with induced dermatitis decreased significantly after the administration of probiotics. In addition, epidermal skin lesions were attenuated and inflammatory-related cytokines were downregulated after the administration of probiotics in mice with induced dermatitis. These results suggest that changes in fecal calprotectin levels could be used to assess the effectiveness of a probiotic strain as an adjuvant treatment for AD.
Subject(s)
Dermatitis, Atopic/therapy , Inflammation/metabolism , Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex/metabolism , Probiotics/pharmacology , Administration, Oral , Animals , Cytokines/metabolism , Dermatitis, Atopic/microbiology , Disease Models, Animal , Feces/chemistry , Female , Gastrointestinal Microbiome , Mice , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Pruritus/metabolism , Recurrence , Skin/metabolismABSTRACT
Lichen nitidus (LN) is an uncommon chronic inflammatory skin disease composed of numerous, tiny, shiny, flesh-colored papules that are predominantly observed on the chest, abdomen, glans penis and upper extremities. The distribution of LN is most often localized, but in some cases it can become generalized. Because LN tends to be asymptomatic and presents spontaneous resolution within several years, it usually does not require treatment except in symptomatic, persistent and generalized cases. We describe a 28-yr-old man and a 7-yr-old boy with generalized LN where both cases improved with narrow-band ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) phototherapy plus topical steroid ointment. Both patients noted improvement within the first three treatments and showed almost complete resolution after 18 and 20 treatments, respectively. NB-UVB phototherapy may be an effective alternative therapy for the treatment of generalized LN, even for those patients in their childhood.