Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Lagerstroemia ovalifolia Teijsm. & Binn. in TNFα/IFNγ-Stimulated Keratinocytes

Ethnopharmacological Relevance. Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. Lagerstroemia ovalifolia Teijsm. & Binn. (LO) has traditionally been used as an herbal medicine for anti-inflammatory diseases. 1e effect of LO on atopic dermatitis has not been verified scientifically. We investigated the effects of CHCl3 fraction number 5 of LO (LOC) on atopic dermatitis through cell-based experiments. HaCaTcells were treated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα)/interferon-gamma (IFNc) to induce an inflammatory reaction. Proinflammatory cytokines, interleukin- (IL-) 6, IL-8, and IL-1β and chemokines such as thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC/CCL17), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP1/CCL2), and mac rophage-derived chemokine (MDC/CCL22) were measured by RT-PCR and ELISA. In addition, the degree of phosphorylation and activation of JAK/STAT1, PI3K/AKT, and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) were measured by western blot and luciferase assays. 1e production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines and activation of the JAK/STAT1, PI3K/AKT, and NF-κB pathways were induced by TNFα/IFNc in HaCaT cells. Under these conditions, LOC treatment inhibited the production of targeted cytokines and chemokines and decreased the phosphorylation and activation of JAK/STAT1, PI3K/AKT, and NF-κB. 1ese results suggest that LOC reduces the production of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines by suppressing the JAK/ STAT1, PI3K/AKT, and NF-κB pathways. 1erefore, LOC may have potential as a drug for atopic dermatitis