The root of Sophora flavescens is a traditional herbal medicine with a bitter taste and 'cold' properties and can
be used to reduce body moisture and heat, as well as treat eczema, hepatitis, indigestion,
pruritus, and jaundice. Recently S. flavescens was reported to have anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti- bacterial,
and anti-allergic effects. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory disease
that begins in childhood and continues into adulthood. The cause of AD is unclear,
but its aetiology involves a complex interaction between abnormal skin barrier function
and abnormal immune regulation. Furthermore, it has been shown that skin barrier dysfunction,
an early symptom of AD, is related to thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP). For these
reasons, this study was designed to confirm the efficacy of S. flavescens at alleviating the symptoms of AD. AD was induced by applying MC903 in the dorsal
skins of balb/c mice. The effects of S. flavescens on moisture contents, histopathological abnormalities, and TSLP production were investigated,
and weight changes were evaluated. In our results, EESF revealed significantly increased
skin moisture levels. In addition, water-holding capacity of stratum corneum was greater
in the EESF-treated group than in the control group. Furthermore, TSLP levels in skin
tissues were suppressed by EESF treatment, which suggests S. flavescens ameliorates skin barrier dysfunction and is a potential treatment for AD. EESF ameliorated
skin barrier dysfunction and symptoms of atopic dermatitis by inhibiting TSLP. These
results indicate that EESF could be used as a therapeutic for patients with AD.
