title: Oral administration of a galactooligosaccharide preparation inhibits development of atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice.
abstract: Anti-allergic effects of galactooligosaccharide (GOS), which is found in breast milk and frequently added to food for promoting health, were evaluated in a human-like mouse model of atopic dermatitis (AD). NC/Nga mice were fed 5.5% GOS for 8 weeks, and we examined whether this treatment suppressed the development of AD-like skin lesions in these mice. Mice fed GOS exhibited significantly less symptoms of dermatitis, reduced scratching frequency, and lower levels of serum total immunoglobulin E compared to control. At the end of the 8-week-experimental period, spleens were removed, and the splenocytes were stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and ionomycin, following which production of cytokines and a chemokine was analyzed. Elevated levels of Th1 cytokines such as interferon-gamma were observed in splenocytes from GOS-fed mice. However, the levels of Th2 cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-13 were unchanged. Furthermore, GOS inhibited the production of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-17, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha but enhanced production of immunomodulatory IL-10. The results indicate that GOS effectively blocked AD-like skin lesions in the mice by at least partly inducing production of IL-10 and suppressing the production of cytokines such as IL-17, which are involved in skin inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8528, Japan. stanabe@hiroshima-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Soichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanabe
authors.forename: Satomi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hochi
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D018925:Chemokines / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005690:Galactose / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011537:Pruritus / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D018925:Chemokines; D016207:Cytokines; D020381:Interleukin-17; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D005690:Galactose