Korean J Asthma Allergy Clin Immunol.  2009 Dec;29(4):269-276.

Effect of DHEA Ingestion on Atopic Dermatitis-like Lesion in BALB/c Mice Sensitized by Ovalbumin

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic cutaneous inflammatory disorder. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a sex hormone normally secreted from the adrenal gland and is used to treat various disorders. It decreases in the serum of AD patients and is known to attenuate dust mite- induced airway allergic responses associated with reduced Th2 cytokine.
OBJECTIVE
The authors attempted investigate the effect of DHEA on AD-like skin lesions by reviewing the cytokine profile and specific IgE production in BALB/c mice sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA). METHOD: Mice were sensitized by intraperitoneal injection of OVA, followed by epicutaneous sensitization for 5 weeks. DHEA was given by the oral route. After all mice were sacrificed at the end of the experiment, skin, spleen tissue and blood were harvested. RESULT: Gross and histological examinations of skin lesions showed inflammation. The severity was mild or absent in DHEA-ingested mice and the number of inflammatory cells was significantly reduced. The IL-5 levels in the cultured splenocytes significantly decreased in the sensitized mice than in the control group. The IFN-gamma/IL-5 ratio significantly increased in the sensitized mice.
CONCLUSION
DHEA ingestion may suppress OVA-induced AD-like skin lesions and prevents the cytokine production of Th2 cells.

MeSH Terms

Adrenal Glands
Animals
Dehydroepiandrosterone
Dermatitis, Atopic
Dust
Eating
Humans
Immunoglobulin E
Inflammation
Injections, Intraperitoneal
Interleukin-5
Mice
Ovalbumin
Ovum
Skin
Spleen
Th2 Cells
Dehydroepiandrosterone
Dust
Immunoglobulin E
Interleukin-5
Ovalbumin