HANANE CHAJRA*¹, MATHILDE FRECHET¹, ALEXANDRE LAPEYRE¹, FRANCINE JOLY², TED KIM³, KYUNG-BAEG ROH³, DEOKHOON PARK³, EUNSUN JUNG³
*Corresponding author
1. Clariant Active Ingredients, Toulouse, France
2. Sephra, Puteaux, France
3. Biospectrum Life Science Institute, Yongin-City, Republic of Korea

Abstract

Due to the fact that several publications related to clinical assessments suggest that indoor pollutants can trigger atopic dermatitis an allergic inflammatory condition, we decided to figure out this assumption in skin explants model and T lymphocytes using two well-known indoor pollutants (SRM 2584 1% lead, and formaldehyde). Moreover, as the cytokine IL-4 has been evidenced as a central player in allergic skin disorders, therefore we set up different in vitro models either in monoculture (mast cells) or co-cultures (fibroblasts and eosinophils) where IL-4 mimic an allergen stimulus. We found that a plant extract of unripe citrus unshiu (CUE) decreases eosinophils recruitment by fibroblasts and histamine release by mast cells. Moreover, atopy degree (SCORAD index) and skin itchiness (VAS index), characteristics of atopy symptoms were clearly improved by CUE application. We discovered that this extract has the property to decrease immune inflammation and re-balance the neuro-immune communication dysregulated by allergens.

INTRODUCTION

Pollution is a major concern nowadays. Nonetheless environmental pollution has been shown to have critical effects on health and particularly on the skin, recent data suggest that home environmental factors may present a relevant impact. Indeed, people spend most of their time in their homes, schools, and public buildings, consequently concerns regarding indoor air pollution are rising (1, 2). Many sources of indoor pollutants have been identified including furniture, tobacco smoke, air conditioners, construction materials, cloths, carpets, wall paints and human body itself. Pollutants include sulfur oxide compounds, formaldehydes, nitrogen oxide compounds, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, metals, smog and microbiological contaminants. Several studies involving children, in Europe (3) and Asia (4) have shown that indoor home remodeling activities (floor covering, wallpapering, new furniture) were associated with the development of Atopic Dermatitis (AD).
AD prevalence and severity was also correlated to indoor polluted environments, but the causal relationship is not clear (4).

AD is a chronic inflammatory allergi ...