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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1449994
This article is part of the Research Topic Natural Products and Immune Inflammation: Mechanistic Understanding Based on Systems Biology View all 16 articles

Can aged Camellia oleifera Abel oil truly be used to treat atopic dermatitis?

Provisionally accepted
Xi-Lin Ouyang Xi-Lin Ouyang 1*Zhang-Lin Yuan Zhang-Lin Yuan 1*Xiao-Bing Chen Xiao-Bing Chen 1*Hong-Wan Gan Hong-Wan Gan 2*Sen-Hui Guo Sen-Hui Guo 3*Juan Cai Juan Cai 1*Jing-Jing Zhong Jing-Jing Zhong 2*
  • 1 Department of Pharmacy, Gannan Healthcare Vocational College, Ganzhou, China
  • 2 Department of Dermatology, Ganzhou People's Hospital, Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, China
  • 3 Gannan Healthcare Vocational College, Ganzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Atopic dermatitis is an inflammatory skin condition characterized by erythema, eruption, lichenification, and pruritus. Aged Camellia oleifera Abel oil, an effective empirical plant oil utilized by the Gannan Hakka people in China to alleviate the symptoms of atopic dermatitis. However, no scientific studies have been reported to prove whether this oil is truly effective. We conducted this study to confirm whether aged C. oleifera oil could alleviate the symptoms of 2,4dinitrochlorobenzene-induced atopic dermatitis in mice. Differences in the thickness and weight of the right and left ears were measured. ELISA was used to determine the serum levels of the inflammatory factors IL-4, IgE, IFN-γ, and TNF-α. HE staining was performed to observe inflammatory cell infiltration in the mouse skin lesions. In addition, the metabolites of aged C. oleifera oils were analyzed, and molecular docking was used to assess the binding affinity of the major metabolites to filaggrin, a protein involved in skin barrier function. Animal studies showed that aged C. oleifera oil significantly improved the symptoms of atopic dermatitis. HE staining and measurement of inflammatory factor levels revealed similar results. A total of 41 metabolites were tentatively identified in the oil, with fatty acids emerging as the major metabolites. Molecular docking confirmed that the three most abundant fatty acids, i.e., oleic acid, n-hexadecanoic acid, and octadecanoic acid, bind well to filaggrin. Our results suggest that aged C. oleifera oils can be used to ameliorate the symptoms of atopic dermatitis. Fatty acids may be the major active metabolites responsible for the observed therapeutic effects by reducing transdermal water loss, increasing skin hydration, alleviating DNCB-induced skin barrier alterations, and eliminating itchy scratching caused by dry skin.

    Keywords: Camellia oleifera Abel oil, GC/Q-TOF MS, atopic dermatitis, Fatty Acids, molecular docking, Major metabolites

    Received: 16 Jun 2024; Accepted: 18 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ouyang, Yuan, Chen, Gan, Guo, Cai and Zhong. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Xi-Lin Ouyang, Department of Pharmacy, Gannan Healthcare Vocational College, Ganzhou, China
    Zhang-Lin Yuan, Department of Pharmacy, Gannan Healthcare Vocational College, Ganzhou, China
    Xiao-Bing Chen, Department of Pharmacy, Gannan Healthcare Vocational College, Ganzhou, China
    Hong-Wan Gan, Department of Dermatology, Ganzhou People's Hospital, Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, China
    Sen-Hui Guo, Gannan Healthcare Vocational College, Ganzhou, China
    Juan Cai, Department of Pharmacy, Gannan Healthcare Vocational College, Ganzhou, China
    Jing-Jing Zhong, Department of Dermatology, Ganzhou People's Hospital, Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.