Effects of oral administration of Lactobacillus acidophilus L-92 on the symptoms and serum markers of atopic dermatitis in children.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Few studies have investigated the complementary effects of long-term oral administration of Lactobacillus acidophilus on traditional medical therapy in the treatment of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD).

METHODS:

The Atopic Dermatitis Area and Severity Index was used to evaluate AD severity. Symptom severity was assessed using the symptom score. The effect of medical therapy was evaluated by adding the medication score, calculated as the sum of each product of the amount of steroid ointment used for therapy and its designated strength graded on a 4-point scale, to the symptom score. The complementary effect of long-term oral administration of L. acidophilus strain L-92 (L-92) as a probiotic or biogenic strain in patients with AD was evaluated using the symptom-medication score, which was calculated as the sum of the symptom score and medication score. Both a preliminary casuistic study and a double-blinded, placebo-controlled study were performed to evaluate the effects of L-92 on the symptoms of AD in children.

RESULTS:

Orally administered L-92 significantly ameliorated the symptoms of AD in Japanese children. L-92 also affected the serum concentrations of thymus and activation-regulated chemokine in a time-dependent manner.

CONCLUSIONS:

The results of the preliminary trial and the double-blinded, placebo-controlled study revealed a complementary effect of oral L-92 on the standard medical therapy (topical application of a steroid ointment) in patients with AD that was mediated, at least in part, by alterations in the Th1/Th2 balance.

• Authors: Shinpei Torii, Akiko Torii, Komei Itoh, Atsuo Urisu, Akihiko Terada, Takao Fujisawa, Kazue Yamada, Hiromi Suzuki, Yu Ishida, Futoshi Nakamura, Hiroki Kanzato, Daisuke Sawada, Atsuko Nonaka, Misaki Hatanaka, Shigeru Fujiwara
• Journal: International archives of allergy and immunology (Int Arch Allergy Immunol) Vol. 154 Issue 3 Pg. 236-45 ( 2011) ISSN: 1423-0097 [Electronic] Switzerland
• PMID: 20861645 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Chemical References

• Biomarkers

Topics

• Administration, Oral
• Adolescent
• Bacteroidaceae (isolation & purification)
• Biomarkers (blood)
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Colony Count, Microbial
• Dermatitis, Atopic (physiopathology, therapy)
• Double-Blind Method
• Female
• Humans
• Infant
• Intestines (microbiology)
• Lactobacillus (isolation & purification)
• Lactobacillus acidophilus
• Male
• Probiotics (administration & dosage, therapeutic use)
• Severity of Illness Index
• Treatment Outcome