BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that commonly found in pilosebaceous units which can have an impact on the patient’s psychological burden. The relationship between dermatology and mental health is increasingly understood by the evidence shows that functional integrity and microbes in the gastrointestinal tract may play a role in mediating skin inflammation and emotional behaviour. The gut-brain-skin theory was first described in 1930 by Stokes and Pillsbury, became the basis of many current studies that look for clinical implications of the relationship between the gastrointestinal tract, brain and skin in acne vulgaris. Probiotics are live microorganisms which can provide a healthy effect to the hosts when consumed in adequate amounts. AIM: To determine the effect of oral probiotic on the interleukin-10 serum levels in acne vulgaris and also to determine the side effect of oral probiotic on acne vulgaris. METHODS: This is a pre-experimental clinical study with a pretest-posttest design involving 33 subjects with acne vulgaris. The subjects in this study were measured for IL-10 serum levels before and after oral probiotic was given for 30 days. This research has been approved by the Health Research Ethics Commission of the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara. RESULTS: This study found an increase in serum IL-10 levels after oral probiotic in acne vulgaris. The value of serum IL-10 levels before oral probiotic administration was 5.27 ± 1.49 pg/ml, while the value of serum IL-10 levels after oral probiotic administration was 6.19 ± 1.68 pg/ml) with p values obtained through Wilcoxon test was 0,0001 (p < 0.05). The side effect of oral probiotic found in this study is bloating that was found in 2 subjects within the first week using oral probiotic. CONCLUSION: Oral probiotic trigger elevated IL-10 serum levels of acne vulgaris. This study supports previous studies that suggested oral probiotic can be considered as adjuvant acne vulgaris therapy and its side effect is quite safe and tolerable.

Background: Acne vulgaris is a common inflammatory disorder in pilosebaceous gland units, which affected more than 90% of teenagers, and half of them settled until adulthood. Inflammation is one of the four critical factors in the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris, and it could be a primary process or secondary to Propionibacterium acnes. The immune system has a various anti-inflammatory mechanism to counter-balance inflammatory mediators. One of the potent cytokines that play a role in regulating the inflammatory state is Interleukin-10 (IL-10). This study conducted to determine the association of serum IL-10 with the severity of acne vulgaris.Methods: This is a cross-sectional analytic study involving 33 subjects with acne vulgaris and 31 normal-healthy volunteers as a control. Both groups had their serum IL-10 measured. Acne vulgaris severity was assessed with Lehmann criteria. Anova was used to determine the statistical difference of IL-10 among different groups of acne severity. This study has been approved by the Ethical Committee Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara.Results: The mean serum IL-10 of normal-healthy and acne vulgaris subjects were 5,79 ± 1,23 pg/ml and 5,25 ± 1,55 pg/ml, respectively. Mann-Whitney test showed a significant difference (p=0,029). The mean IL-10 serum levels according to acne vulgaris severity were 6,63 ± 1,94 pg/ml in the mild category; 4,89 ± 0,95 pg/ml in the moderate category and 4,38 ± 0,61 pg/ml in the severe group. ANOVA showed significant difference with p=0,001.Conclusion: There was an association between serum levels of IL-10 with the severity of acne vulgaris.