A Pilot Study Evaluating the Clinical and Immunomodulatory Effects of an Orally Administered Extract ofDendrobium Huoshanensein Children with Moderate to Severe Recalcitrant Atopic Dermatitis

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory skin disorder for which few safe and effective systemic treatments are available. To test the clinical and immunomodulatory effects of a crude polysaccharide fraction isolated from Dendrobium huoshanense for the treatment of AD, we conducted a pilot, uncontrolled case series study. Twenty-seven patients aged 4-18 years (mean±SD, 10.82±4.4) with AD that had not responded to topical therapy were treated with polysaccharide derived from D. huoshanense for 4 weeks and followed-up for another 4 weeks. Progression of AD was determined with the Lund-Browder chart for children, the Investigator's Global Atopic Dermatitis Assessment (IGADA), and the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) at weeks 0, 2, 4, and 8. Serum levels of cytokines were evaluated. Safety was determined with laboratory and clinical tests. The lesion area, IGADA score, total SCORAD result, and score for sleeplessness decreased significantly from weeks 0 to 4, but did not change significantly between weeks 4 and 8. The scores for subjective symptoms and pruritus decreased significantly from week 0 to week 4 and increased significantly from week 4 to week 8. Serum levels of IL-S, IL-13, IFN-y, and TGF-p1 decreased significantly between weeks 0 and 4 and between weeks 0 and 8. No significant difference in the levels of IL-10 was found. The polysaccharide from D. huoshanense reduced the levels of some cytokines associated with AD and had beneficial effects on symptoms. No serious adverse effects occurred when it was administered orally for 4 weeks.Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory skin disorder that afflicts from 10%

Endothelial Cells, Cholesterol, Cytokines, and Aging

“…Increasing the turnover of bile salts has a beneficial effect on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, which is an important risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis and playa relevant role in aging (24-29). Elevated plasma LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels and reduced HDL cholesterol levels are associated with an increased risk of developing atheroma and shorter life (30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35).…”

Dendrobium: Sources of Active Ingredients to Treat Age-Related Pathologies

“…Several species of Dendrobium exerted neuroprotective activities, but their evaluation on modern targets should be undertaken in the future. Their immunomodulatory activities are promising and interesting clinical studies on patients with Sjögren syndrome or atopic dermatitis have been reported [ 104 , 108 ]. In light of recent discoveries about the connections between immunity and diseases developed in the elderly, this lead would continue to be explored and more clinical studies would be realized to confirm in vitro and in vivo investigations.…”

“…The polysaccharide from D. huoshanense reduced the levels of some cytokines associated with atopic dermatitis and had beneficial effects on symptoms. No serious adverse effects occurred when it was administered orally for 4 weeks [ 104 ].…”

Application of high‐resolution melting analysis for authenticity testing of valuable Dendrobium commercial products

“…The diverse chemical characteristics of the polysaccharides from Dendrobium may be correlated with their health benefits. More than 70 Dendrobium species had been found in China; however, only three of them, namely D. officinale , D. huoshanense and D. moniliforme , were most valuable and have different efficacy . D. officinale and D. moniliforme are also the two most commonly used species in China.…”

“…More than 70 Dendrobium species had been found in China; however, only three of them, namely D. officinale, D. huoshanense and D. moniliforme, were most valuable and have different efficacy. 6,7 D. officinale and D. moniliforme are also the two most commonly used species in China. These valuable Dendrobium species have commonly been employed as different forms of dietary supplements in various herbal commodity markets in China.…”