J. rigida fruit and its active components might be useful in treating atopic dermatitis and related skin inflammatory diseases. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Ameliorative effects of Juniperus rigida fruit on oxazolone- and 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene-induced atopic dermatitis in mice.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2017 Dec 16 ;214:160-167. Epub 2017 Dec 16. PMID: 29258854
Sullim Lee
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The fruits of Juniperus rigida have been used in Korean traditional medicine for the treatment of inflammatory diseases in humans such as rheumatoid arthritis.
AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to investigate the anti-atopic properties of J. rigida fruit in in vivo murine atopic dermatitis (AD) models.
METHODS AND RESULTS: BALB/c mouse ears ad SKH-1 hairless mice stimulated with oxazolone (4 weeks) and DNCB (3 weeks), respectively, were treated with the 1% Juniperus rigida fruit EtOH extract (JFE). The JFE improved AD symptoms in both oxazolone- and DNCB-induced AD mice by accelerating skin barrier recovery function and suppressing the overproduction of serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) and interleukin 4 (IL-4). The JFE was found to contain isoscutellarein-7-O-β-xylopyranoside, cupressuflavone, podocarpusflavone A, and hinokiflavone as major components based on phytochemical analysis. Eight flavonoids were isolated from JFE, and of those, cupressuflavone and isoscutellarein-7-O-β-xylopyranoside strongly down-regulated IL-4 expression and β-hexosaminidase release in RBL-2H3 cells.
CONCLUSION: Therapeutic attempts with J. rigida fruit and its active components might be useful in treating AD and related skin inflammatory diseases.