Taeumjowi-tang, a Traditional Korean Sasang Remedy, Improves Obesity-Atopic Dermatitis Comorbidity by Regulating Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 Alpha

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory disease of the skin, resulting from an immune dysfunction, that often occurs as a comorbidity of obesity. This investigation evaluated the capacity of Taeumjowi-tang (TJT), a Korean herbal formulation from the Sasang medical tradition to influence prognostic features of AD and obesity in a mouse model. Here, obesity and AD were induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) and 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNFB). Following an 8-week HFD regimen and 4 weeks of DNFB administration, the comorbid (CO) group manifested increased body weight and AD-like lesions, as compared to normal control (NC) mice, while TJT administration diminished these symptoms of obesity and AD. Specifically, TJT treatment reduced epidermal thickness and eosinophil/mast cell infiltration, along with reduction in immunoglobulin E, interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a). It was additionally demonstrated that TJT suppresses HFD/DNFB-associated increase of the inflammation-related nuclear factor-kappa beta (NF-kB) and mitogen activated protein kinase. Moreover, significantly increased levels of hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1a) protein was observed in CO group versus controls, an increase significantly down-regulated by TJT-treatment. These outcomes suggest that TJT may prove useful in clinical management of obesity-AD comorbidity treatment, an effect that may be due to regulation of HIF-1a expression.

Prediction of Efficacy of Taeumjowi-Tang for Treatment of Metabolic Risk Factors Based on Machine Learning

“…Taeumjowi-tang is a popular herbal product in Korea and is generally used for weight loss [6][7][8][9][10]32] and changes in several lipid profiles [6,11,13,14]. Until now, there have been no studies reporting prediction models or algorithms for the efficacy of Taeumjowi-tang or other herbal medicines for an individual.…”

“…However, several studies have examined the efficacy of Taeumjowi-tang. To examine the association of oral administration of Taeumjowitang with anthropometric and blood parameters, many studies have proven that the efficacy of Taeumjowi-tang is useful for weight reduction or changes in lipid profiles in humans and mice [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. For example, Yoo et al [6] examined changes in anthropometric indices and blood parameters after dose intake of Taeumjowi-tang in obese Korean children.…”

“…Additionally, the efficacy of Taeumjowi-tang has been demonstrated in animal experiments. Several previous studies have examined the effect of Taeumjowitang for the treatment of obesity and its comorbidities in obese mice [7][8][9]. For example, Park et al [9] examined the efficacy of Taeumjowi-tang for the treatment of obesity and atopic dermatitis induced by a high-fat diet and 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene in mice and suggested that Taeumjowi-tang was useful for the clinical management and treatment of comorbid obesity-atopic dermatitis because the effect may be caused by the regulation of HIF-1α expression.…”

“…Herbal medicines are often prescribed for obesity reduction. In traditional Korean medicine, Taeumjowi-tang is one of most well-known herbal medicines, and many studies have reported that Taeumjowi-tang is effective for weight reduction in humans and mice [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. For example, for the assessment of efficacy and safety of Taeumjowi-tang, several studies have performed experiments to identify the changes in anthropometric indices and blood parameters such as body fat mass, weight, waist circumference, fasting glucose concentration, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol levels, and triglyceride.…”

Efficacy and Safety of Socheongryong-Tang Among Atopic Dermatitis Patients With Respiratory Disorders: A Double-Blinded, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

“…There has been growing interest in alternative medicine as a means of reducing the socioeconomic burden of AD. However, excluding a study analyzing the growth-promoting ingredients in boyangsungjang-tang ( Hong et al, 2012 ) or studies demonstrating the efficacy of gamisasangja-tang ( Park et al, 2015 ) and taeumjowi-tang ( Park et al, 2019 ) for alleviating AD, there have been hardly any clinical studies demonstrating the efficacy of alternative medicine for AD and growth.…”