Introduction: Because minipig skin is similar to human skin in anatomy and physiology, establishing an atopic dermatitis (AD) minipig model seems meaningful.
Material and methods: We applied 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNFB) or ovalbumin onto the back skin of five Yucatan minipigs aged 8-10 months and 19 kg in median weight. Two minipigs with the same parameters served as controls.
Results: Both DNFB and ovalbumin mediated epithelial hyperplasia, spongiosis, and immune cell infiltration in the dermis, which is a typical histopathological feature of AD. Moreover, AD upregulated the Th1- and Th2-related cytokine expressions in DNFB- or in ovalbumin-treated skin. Notably, AD-induced minipigs exhibited greater cytokine serum concentrations.
Conclusion: Histopathological finding and cytokine analysis revealed that DNFB or ovalbumin mediates AD. However, ovalbumin-treated minipig is a more reliable and precise AD model owing to the DNFB-induced severe skin damage. In summary, ovalbumin-treated skin shows similar AD as human in histopathological and molecular analysis.
Keywords: 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene; Yucatan minipig; atopic dermatitis; ovalbumin.
© 2021 Y.K. Kim et al. published by Sciendo.