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CM-07

Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory effects of a topical herbal ointment on

atopic dermatitis

3
#,1
4
Yun Lin, Bo-Rong Peng, Chi-Wen Huang, Yuh-Chiang Shen, Mei-Hsien Lee* ,1,2,3
2

1 Graduate Institute of Clinical Genomics and Proteomics, College of Pharmacy, Taipei
Medical University, No.250, Wuxing St., Xinyi Dist., Taipei City 110, Taiwan
2 Graduate Institute of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University,
No.250, Wuxing St., Xinyi Dist., Taipei City 110, Taiwan
3 PhD Program in Clinical Drug Development of Herbal Medicine, College of Pharmacy,
Taipei Medical University, No.250, Wuxing St., Xinyi Dist., Taipei City 110, Taiwan
4 National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine, Taipei 112026, Taiwan
* E-mail: lmh@tmu.edu.tw

Abstract
Atopic dermatitis (AD), also known as eczema, allergic dermatitis, or atopic eczema, is a
common, chronic inflammatory skin disease caused by immune dysfunction and skin barrier
defects, often showing recurrent flare-ups. Current clinical treatments involve expensive drugs
with many side effects. Therefore, exploring safer and more cost-effective alternatives has
become a priority. The present study evaluated the therapeutic potential of a topical herbal
ointment formulated with three traditional Chinese medicinal herbs for the management of AD.
Three Traditional Chinese Medicinal herbs were subjected to water or oil extraction to obtain
respective water-phase and oil-phase extracts. The major constituents of these herbs were
quantified by LC-MS/MS analysis. In the in vivo study, topical application of the ointment to
BALB/c mice with DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis (AD)-like lesions demonstrated that the
treatment significantly improved skin severity scores and reduced ear thickness. In the in vitro
study, treatment of TNF-α/IFN-γ-stimulated HaCaT cells with individual herbs or their
combinations significantly reduced IL-6 levels without inducing cytotoxicity. These results
indicate that the herbal ointment formulated with the three medicinal herbs exerts anti-
inflammatory effects and holds potential as a novel treatment for atopic dermatitis (AD).

Keywords: Atopic dermatitis; HaCaT cells; Topical herbal ointment