Chronic inflammatory
skin diseases, such as
atopic dermatitis, are caused by the accumulation of immune cells and the overproduction of
chemokines, including CCL17 and CCL22, due to the activation of pro-inflammatory
cytokines secreted from keratinocytes. In the present study, the inhibitory activity of HM-V on
tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)/
interferon gamma (IFN-γ)-induced pro-inflammatory
cytokines was examined in human keratinocytes (HaCaTs) and 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (
DNCB)-induced chronic skin
contact dermatitis animal models. Traditional Asian medicinal herb extracts mixture (HM-V), which have been extensively used in Asian medicine, were utilized. In TNF-α/IFN-γ-induced HaCaTs, HM-V strongly inhibited
mRNA and
protein expression of CCL17 and CCL22 in a concentration-dependent manner. The expression of pro-inflammatory
cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β, and
IL-6 was also inhibited. Therefore, localized administration of HM-V in the
DNCB-induced animal model alleviated immune cell deposition and skin
inflammation. The results indicate that HM-V exerts inhibitory effects on keratinocyte production of CCL17 and CCL22. Furthermore, HM-V may be a useful
anti-inflammatory agent for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory
skin diseases.