CeBiNES-02, a herbal Mixture, enhances skin barrier function and alleviates atopic dermatitis symptoms in mice

The constituents of CeBiNES-02 (C02) are categorized as 'heat-clearing' herbs within the framework of Northeast Asian traditional medicine, or have historically been employed in the management of dermatological conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory properties and skin barrier-protective effects of C02 in a mouse model of calcipotriol (MC903) induced atopic dermatitis (AD). C02 was applied topically to the backs of 8-week-old male Balb/c mice at three different doses. Skin lesion severity, skin water content, water-holding capacity (WHC), histopathological abnormalities, and inflammatory cytokine levels were analyzed after 6 days of C02 application. The results demonstrated that C02 effectively alleviated the severity of skin lesions and erythema, increased skin water content and WHC, and ameliorated histopathological abnormalities viz. spongiotic changes, basal layer disruption, and immune cell infiltration in inflamed tissues. Furthermore, C02 tended to restore filaggrin expression and suppressed the production of inflammatory cytokines, namely TNF (tumor necrosis factor)-α, IFN (interferon)-γ, and IL (interleukin)-4 and IL-6. In addition, C02 reduced TSLP (thymic stromal lymphopoietin) expression and inhibited the phosphorylation of ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase). In Conclusion, these findings suggest that C02 has therapeutic potential as an anti-inflammatory and skin barrier protective agent in AD.