The skin is constantly exposed to various types of chemical stresses that challenge the immune cells, leading to the activation of T cell-mediated hypersensitivity reactions including atopic dermatitis. Previous studies have demonstrated that a variety of natural compounds are effective against development of atopic dermatitis by modulating immune responses. Cardamonin is a natural compound abundantly found in cardamom spices and many other medicinal plant species. In the present study, we attempted to examine whether cardamonin could inhibit oxazolone-induced atopic dermatitis in vivo. Our results show that topical application of cardamonin onto the ear of mice suppressed oxazolone-induced inflammation in the ear and hyperplasia in the spleen. Cardamonin also inhibited oxazolone-induced destruction of connective tissues and subsequent infiltration of mast cells into the skin. In addition, we found that the production of Th2 cytokines is negatively regulated by NRF2, and the induction of NRF2 by cardamonin contributed to suppressing oxazolone-induced Th2 cytokine production and oxidative damages in vivo. Together, our results demonstrate that cardamonin is a promising natural compound, which might be effective for treatment of atopic dermatitis.
Keywords: NF-E2-related factor 2 (NRF2); T helper 2 (Th2) cytokines; cardamonin; oxazolone.