Turmeric Protects the Skin Against Atopic Dermatitis in Vivo

By Kyle J. Norton


Atopic dermatitis, a type of eczema is skin condition associated with skin red patches and itchy.

Children are at a higher risk of atopic dermatitis compared to adults.

Most cases of atopic dermatitis are healed by itself or by rehydrating the skin with topical forms of petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline.

However, in serious cases, topical steroids to reduce inflammation and control itching may be prescribed. In patients with itching scratch, oral antihistamines may be recommended.

Besides red patches and itching on the affected area, patients may also experience symptoms of dry skin, small bumps containing fluids, cracked and scaly, sensitive, swollen skin due to scratching.

If you experience some of the aforementioned symptoms, you have atopic dermatitis. Please check with your doctor to rule out the possibility.

Epidemiologically, atopic dermatitis has been found to associate with the exposure to allergens such as pollen, pet dander or peanuts, or by stress, dry skin, and infection.

Some atopic dermatitis may also be triggered by skin irritants such as some fabrics, soaps and household cleaners.

Turmeric is a perennial plant in the genus Curcuma, belonging to the family Zingiberaceae, native to tropical South Asia.

The herb has been used in traditional medicine as anti-oxidant, hypoglycemic, colorant, antiseptic, wound healing agent, and for the treatment of flatulence, bloating, and appetite loss, ulcers, eczema, inflammations, etc.

On findings a potential ingredient or whole food for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD), researchers examined the effects of p-hydroxycinnamic acid (HCA) isolated from the roots of Curcuma longa.

In a mouse model of ear AD, p-hydroxycinnamic acid (HCA) exerted a significant activity against ear thickening, immune-cell infiltration, production of AD-promoting immunoregulatory cytokines in ear tissues.

Futhermore, HCA also inhibited the increased spleen and draining lymph node size and weight in the induction of the increased pro-inflammatory cytokines production.

In vitro, HCV inhibited the CD4+ T cells against the imbalance of Th1 and Th2 in facilitating the production of cytokines.

Based on the results, researchers said, " HCA may be of therapeutic potential for AD as it acts by suppressing keratinocyte activation and downregulating T-cell differentiation and cytokine production".

In order to reveal more information about turmeric anti-allergic effects, researchers investigated herbal medicine in the attenuation of food allergy symptoms in an animal model.

Selected mice immunized with intraperitoneal ovalbumin (OVA) and alum were orally challenged with 50mg OVA, and treated with turmeric extract (100mg/kg), curcumin (3mg/kg or 30 mg/kg) for 16 days.

Turmeric treated group significantly attenuated food allergy symptoms by decreasing rectal temperature and anaphylactic response induced by OVA, compared to the low improvement of the curcumin group.

Turmeric also inhibited the antibodies produced by the immune system that can lead to inflammatory processes( IgE, IgG1) and mMCP-1 levels, a marker of food allergy increased by OVA.

Furthermore, turmeric balanced the levels of type 1 and 2 helper cell (Th2)-against the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

The findings suggested that turmeric exhibits an anti-allergic effect through reduced type 2 helper cell (Th2)-related cytokines and enhanced a Th1-related cytokine.

According to the results, researchers, after taking into account co and confounders wrote, "Turmeric significantly ameliorated food allergic symptoms in a mouse model of food allergy".

And, "The turmeric as an anti-allergic agent showed immune regulatory effects through maintaining Th1/Th2 immune balance, whereas curcumin appeared immune suppressive effects".

Taken altogether, turmeric may be considered supplements for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of turmeric in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

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Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Oral Administration of p-Hydroxycinnamic Acid Attenuates Atopic Dermatitis by Downregulating Th1 and Th2 Cytokine Production and Keratinocyte Activation by Lee HS1, Choi EJ2, Lee KS1, Kim HR1, Na BR1, Kwon MS1, Jeong GS3, Choi HG4, Choi EY5, Jun CD. (PubMed)
(2) Turmeric (Curcuma longa) attenuates food allergy symptoms by regulating type 1/type 2 helper T cells (Th1/Th2) balance in a mouse model of food allergy by Shin HS1, See HJ2, Jung SY2, Choi DW2, Kwon DA2, Bae MJ3, Sung KS2, Shon DH. (PubMed)