Lactobacillus for the treatment and prevention of atopic dermatitis: Clinical and experimental evidence

Anni Xie; Ailing Chen; Yuqing Chen; Zichen Luo; Shanyu Jiang; Daozhen Chen; Renqiang Yu

doi:10.3389/fcimb.2023.1137275

Lactobacillus for the treatment and prevention of atopic dermatitis: Clinical and experimental evidence

Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2023 Feb 16:13:1137275. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1137275. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Anni Xie¹, Ailing Chen², Yuqing Chen³, Zichen Luo¹, Shanyu Jiang¹, Daozhen Chen², Renqiang Yu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neonatology, Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.
² Research Institute for Reproductive Health and Genetic Diseases, Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.
³ Department of Child Health Care, Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, accompanied by itching and swelling. The main pathological mechanism of AD is related to the imbalance between Type 2 helper cells (Th2 cells) and Type 1 helper cells (Th1 cells). Currently, no safe and effective means to treat and prevent AD are available; moreover, some treatments have side effects. Probiotics, such as some strains of Lactobacillus, can address these concerns via various pathways: i) facilitating high patient compliance; ii) regulating Th1/Th2 balance, increasing IL-10 secretion, and reducing inflammatory cytokines; iii) accelerating the maturation of the immune system, maintaining intestinal homeostasis, and improving gut microbiota; and iv) improving the symptoms of AD. This review describes the treatment and prevention of AD using 13 species of Lactobacillus. AD is commonly observed in children. Therefore, the review includes a higher proportion of studies on AD in children and fewer in adolescents and adults. However, there are also some strains that do not improve the symptoms of AD and even worsen allergies in children. In addition, a subset of the genus Lactobacillus that can prevent and relieve AD has been identified in vitro. Therefore, future studies should include more in vivo studies and randomized controlled clinical trials. Given the advantages and disadvantages mentioned above, further research in this area is urgently required.

Keywords: Lactobacillus; atopic dermatitis; gut microbiota; immunomodulation; type 2 helper cells.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Child
Cytokines
Dermatitis, Atopic*
Humans
Hypersensitivity*
Lactobacillus
Skin

Substances

Cytokines

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Science and Technology (No. BE2022698), the Wuxi Science and Technology Bureau (No.Y20222003), the Wuxi Municipal Medical Innovation Team (No.CXTD2021013), the Wuxi Commission of Health and Family Planning (Nos. SW202201 and M202171) and the Wuxi Young and Middle-aged Medical Talents Project (Nos. BJ2020075 and BJ2020079).