Chaeeun Lee

Can aged Camellia oleifera Abel oil truly be used to treat atopic dermatitis?

Abstract

Xi-Lin Ouyang1, Zhang-Lin Yuan1, Xiao-Bing Chen1, Hong-Wan Gan2, Sen-Hui Guo1, Juan Cai1 and Jing-Jing Zhong2
1Department of Pharmacy, Gannan Healthcare Vocational College, Ganzhou, China, 2Department of
Dermatology, Ganzhou People’s Hospital, Ganzhou, China

Atopic dermatitis is an inflammatory skin condition characterized by erythema,
eruption, lichenification, and pruritus. Aged Camellia oleifera Abel oil, an effective
empirical plant oil utilized by the Gannan Hakka people in China to alleviate the
symptomsofatopicdermatitis.However,noscientificstudieshavebeenreported
to prove whether this oil is truly effective. We conducted this study to confirm
whether aged C. oleifera oil could alleviate the symptoms of 2,4
dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced atopic dermatitis in mice. Differences
in the thickness and weight of the right and left ears were measured. ELISA
wasusedtodeterminetheserumlevelsoftheinflammatoryfactorsIL-4,IgE,IFN
γ, and TNF-α. HEstaining was performed to observe inflammatory cell infiltration
in the mouseskinlesions.Inaddition, themetabolitesofagedC.oleiferaoils were
analyzed, and molecular docking was used to assess the binding affinity of the
major metabolites to filaggrin, a protein involved in skin barrier function. Animal
studies showed that aged C. oleifera oil significantly improved the symptoms of
atopic dermatitis. HE staining and measurement of inflammatory factor levels
revealed similar results. A total of 41 metabolites were tentatively identified in the
oil, with fatty acids emerging as the major metabolites. Molecular docking
confirmed that the three most abundant fatty acids, i.e., oleic acid,
n-hexadecanoic acid, and octadecanoic acid, bind well to filaggrin. Our
results suggest that aged C. oleifera oils can be used to ameliorate the
symptoms of atopic dermatitis. Fatty acids may be the major active
metabolites responsible for the observed therapeutic effects by reducing
transdermal water loss, increasing skin hydration, alleviating DNCB-induced
skin barrier alterations, and eliminating itchy scratching caused by dry skin.