Pruni cortex, the bark of Prunus jamasakura Siebold ex Koidzumi, has been used in the Japanese systems of medicine for many years for its anti-inflammatory,
antioxidant and
antitussive properties. In this study, we investigated the effect of pruni cortex on
atopic dermatitis NC/Nga mouse model.
Atopic dermatitis-like lesion was induced by the application of house dust mite extract to the dorsal skin. After induction of
atopic dermatitis, pruni cortex aqueous extract (1 g/kg, p.o.) was administered daily for 2 weeks. We evaluated
dermatitis severity, histopathological changes and cellular
protein expression by Western blotting for nuclear and cytoplasmic high mobility group box 1,
receptor for advanced glycation end products, nuclear factor κB, apoptosis and inflammatory markers in the skin of
atopic dermatitis mice. The clinical observation confirmed that the
dermatitis score was significantly lower when treated with pruni cortex than in the
atopic dermatitis group. Similarly pruni cortex inhibited
hypertrophy and infiltration of inflammatory cells as identified by histopathology. In addition, pruni cortex significantly inhibited the
protein expression of cytoplasmic high mobility group box 1,
receptor for advanced glycation end products, nuclear p-
nuclear factor kappa B, apoptosis and inflammatory markers. These results indicate that pruni cortex may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of
atopic dermatitis by attenuating high mobility group box 1 and
inflammation possibly through the nuclear factor κB pathway.