Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic eczematous skin disease attended by pruritus, erythema, edema, excoriation, and dryness. This study was to evaluate the effects of Korean red ginseng (RG) on AD in NC/ Nga mice treated with 1-chloro-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (picryl chloride; PC). Experimental groups were divided into 4 groups; normal control (NC), PC control, and PC-RG (50 and 100 mg/kg). RG was orally administered every day repeatedly during 6 weeks. The skin lesions in severity score, scratching behavior, serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels, and histological appearance were examined. AD-like lesions were developed on the NC/Nga mice by topical PC applications. Oral administration of RG (50 and 100 mg/kg) significantly suppressed the development of AD, as analyzed by a modified SCORAD score. The scratching behavior decreased after RG administration. The levels of serum IgE, IL-4 and IFN-γ were increased by PC stimulation, but treatment with RG (100 mg/kg) suppressed the increment of the serum IgE, IL-4 and IFN-γ levels. Histologically, RG inhibited dermatitis lesions such as hypertrophy, hyperkeratosis, and infiltration of inflammatory cells into epidermis and dermis. These results suggest that the administration of RG may be effective in alleviating the AD induced by PC.

This study was conducted to investigate the functional biological effects of hot water and ethanol extracts from Taraxacum mongolicum (TM). Then, the hot water and ethanol extracts of TM were measured for total flavonoids content, total phenolics content, electron donating ability, nitrite-scavenging ability, SOD-like activity, tyrosinase inhibitory effect, and elastase inhibitory effect. Total flavonoids contents of hot water and ethanol extracts from TM were 7.80±0.97 mg/g and 9.12±0.51 mg/g, respectively, and total phenolics contents were estimated as 54.20±1.95 mg/g for water extract and 79.43±4.44 mg/g for ethanol extract. The RC50 values for electron donating ability of hot water and ethanol extracts were 943.98 μg/mL and 309.41 μg/mL. SOD-like activity and nitrite-scavenging ability were dependent on concentration of hot water and ethanol extracts, and the activity of ethanol extract was higher than that of hot water extract. However, hot water and ethanol extracts from TM showed no inhibitory activities on the elastase and tyrosinase inhibitory activities. Based on the above results, the ethanol extract of TM seems to be the most pertinent for use as functional food and cosmetic.

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