Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of BSASM using in vitro experiments

For effective management of atopic dermatitis, it is important to introduce a therapeutic agent which although having the fewest side effects, has the greatest anti-inflammatory effect. In the course of screening anti-inflammatory agents, we obtained BSASM composed of several plant extracts. This study was designed to investigate anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of BSASM. As a first step, NF-κB luciferase reporter assay was performed to know the involvement of BSASM in the production of proinflammatory cytokines because NF-κB element has been known to play a major role in expression of cytokine genes such as interleukin-8 (IL-8) or tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-β). LPS (lipopolysaccharide)-induced NF-κB activation was inhibited by BSASM. In addition, we found the fact that BSASM inhibits LPS-induced production of IL-8 and TNF-α proinflammatory cytokines, indicating BSASM has and-inflammatory effect. In interleukin-2 (IL-2) luciferase reporter assay in Jurkat T cells, BSASM reduced PHA (Phytohemagglutinin)-induced IL-2 luciferase activity, suggesting the possibility that BSASM might also have an immunomodulatory function in T cell-mediated immune response. Based on these results, we suggest the possibility that BSASM can be introduced to improve symptom of immune-related skin diseases, namely, atopic dermatitis.