Effect of bakumijiogan, an herbal formula in traditional Chinese medicine, on atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions induced by mite antigen in NC/Jic mice.

We evaluated the effectiveness of bakumijiogan (BJG), an herbal formula in traditional Chinese medicine used to treat atopic dermatitis (AD), using a NC/Jic mouse model of AD. AD symptoms were induced by repeated injections of Dermatophagoides farinae antigen (Df-antigen) into the ear auricle at 2- to 3-d intervals for 16 d. Ear thickness dramatically increased up to 16 d after the first injection of Df-antigen. Daily oral administration of BJG from 7 d before to 16 d after the first injection significantly reduced ear swelling. Serum concentrations of total immunoglobulin (Ig)E and Df-antigen-specific IgG1 were augmented when assayed 17 d after the first injection of Df-antigen, and these increases were slightly suppressed by BJG administration. Serum interferon (IFN)-gamma and lesional IFN-gamma mRNA levels were significantly higher, whereas lesional IL-1alpha and tumor necrosis factor-alpha mRNA levels were lower in BJG-treated mice than those in control mice. These results suggest that BJG suppressed AD-like symptoms by correcting the Th1/Th2 imbalance skewed toward Th2. Evaluation of herbal constituents in BJG revealed that the combination of two herbal ingredients, ophiopogon tuber and schisandra fruit, mainly contributed to the effects of BJG.