title: Effect of Spa Spring Water on Cytokine Expression in Human Keratinocyte HaCaT Cells and on Differentiation of CD4(+) T Cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Skin acts as the first line of defense against any foreign materials outside of our body. In inflammatory skin disease, the pathogenesis is due to an immune reaction in the keratinocytes, immune cells and soluble mediators. Balneotherapy is widely used for the treatment of inflammatory skin disease, but the mechanisms are only partly understood by immune regulation. Balneotherapy in dermatologic disease can affect the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1α and tumor necrosis factor from keratinocytes, and possibly affect the T cell differentiation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In this study, we evaluated the effect of spa spring water from Yong-gung oncheon on the cells, and investigated the skin immune reaction.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the immunomodulatory or anti-inflammatory effect of thermal spring water on the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the HaCaT cells under Toll-like receptor (TLR) stimulation, as well as the effect on the differentiation of CD4(+) T cells under spring water.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The treatment of spa spring water from Yong-gung oncheon decreased the expression of proinflammatory cytokines under TLR stimulation to the HaCaT cells and antigen presenting cells. In addition, spa spring water attenuated the differentiation process of subsets of CD4(+) T cells, i.e., Th1, Th2 and Th17 cells. All these immune parameters can be used to evaluate the efficacy of spa spring water in Korea, in terms of the immune modulatory effect.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Spa spring water treatment suppressed the inflammatory cytokines production and also modulated the differentiation of CD4(+) T cells into Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells, but not the T(regs) cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Uijeongbu, Korea.
authors.forename: Ho-Pyo
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yoon-Jung
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Kyung-Ah
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: So-Youn
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.forename: Seong-Taek
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: Jong Tae
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hong Jig
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kyung-Ho
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jin-Wou
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kim