beta-carotene and Dermatitis--Atopic

Eczema is a frequent childhood manifestation and a few atopic children are allergic to certain foods or aeroallergens. Anxious parents of atopic children often have a fear of topical steroid-related side-effects, and some may try a range of elimination diets to avoid allergies. Elimination diets increase the risk of anaphylaxis on re-exposure to previously tolerated foods from the loss of oral tolerance. Unbalanced diets together with an inadvertent excessive consumption of fruits and vegetables may lead to carotenemia from the carotenoids in the plant foods. Carotenemia is benign but unusual diets and the consumption of preformed vitamin A in health supplements can lead to vitamin A toxicity. We discuss a child with eczema on an exclusion diet presenting with anaphylaxis to dairy food. He had carotenemia with hepatomegaly, which resolved on dietary management.

Topics: beta Carotene; Child, Preschool; Dermatitis, Atopic; Food Hypersensitivity; Hepatomegaly; Humans; Male

Double-blind, placebo controlled challenge tests with benzoic acid butylhydroxytoluene, butylhydroxyanisole, beta-carotene, beta-8-apo-carotenal, and sodium metabisulfite were made in 44 cases of chronic urticaria, 91 cases of atopic dermatitis, and 123 cases of contact dermatitis, as a comparison group. Positive reactions were seen in four patients, two of whom had urticaria, one atopic dermatitis, and one contact dermatitis. Two of these reactions were caused by the placebo, one in a patient with urticaria and the other in a contact dermatitis patient. For one patient who reacted to the placebo and one who reacted to benzoic acid, the challenges were repeated with positive results in both instances. In nine patients, equivocal test results were produced with all the active substances and the placebo, but in all nine cases, retesting 4 days later produced negative results. This suggests that common food additives are seldom if ever of significance as precipitating factors in chronic urticaria or atopic dermatitis.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; beta Carotene; Butylated Hydroxyanisole; Butylated Hydroxytoluene; Carotenoids; Child; Child, Preschool; Dermatitis, Atopic; Dermatitis, Contact; Double-Blind Method; Female; Food Additives; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Sulfites; Urticaria

Skin acts as a barrier, which protects internal tissues and promotes moisture retention. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory skin disease associated with a variety of genetic and environmental factors that involve helper T cells. β-Carotene (provitamin A) exhibits antioxidant activity and activates the immune system. However, it is not clear whether inflammation in AD skin is improved by posttreatment with β-carotene. In the current study, we investigated the effects of β-carotene on the skin of hairless mice with oxazolone-induced inflammation/oedema (Ox-AD mice). We found that skin inflammation was significantly reduced by oral administration of β-carotene. In addition, treatment with β-carotene suppressed protein levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and MCP-1, as well as mRNA expression associated with IL-1β, IL-6, IL-4 and Par-2 in skin tissues. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein levels of filaggrin, a structural protein in the epidermal stratum corneum, were elevated by β-carotene administration as compared with Ox-AD mice. β-Carotene significantly reduced the activity of proMMP-9, but not proMMP-2. These results suggest that in Ox-AD mice, β-carotene improves skin inflammation by suppressing the expression of inflammatory factors, promoting filaggrin expression and reducing MMP-9 activity. β-Carotene is a potent anti-inflammatory agent that improves the barrier functions of AD skin.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; beta Carotene; Cytokines; Dermatitis, Atopic; Enzyme Precursors; Filaggrin Proteins; Gene Expression Regulation; Inflammation Mediators; Intermediate Filament Proteins; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; Mice; Mice, Hairless; Oxazolone; RNA, Messenger; Skin; Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a cutaneous condition characterized by itchy, swollen, and dry skin, which is mediated by T helper cell-related cytokines. β-Carotene, a natural red pigment found in plants, exhibits antioxidant activity that has been shown to promote an inflammatory response. Because it is not clear whether β-carotene suppresses inflammation in AD skin tissues, we examined the effects of oral administration of β-carotene in mice induced by a low zinc/magnesium diet (HR-AD diet). Our studies found that AD-like inflammation was remarkably reduced by β-carotene. In addition, β-carotene significantly suppressed protein expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and MCP-1 and mRNA expression of TSLP, IL-6, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-5, and Par-2 in AD-like skin tissues. It was also found that mRNA and protein expression of filaggrin (a major structural protein in epidermis) in AD-like skin was significantly elevated by β-carotene administration. Furthermore, β-carotene treatment significantly reduced the activity and/or mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), degradation of the extracellular matrix and regulation of chemokines. These results suggest that β-carotene reduces skin inflammation through the suppressed expression of inflammatory factors or the activity of MMPs as well as the promotion of filaggrin expression in AD-like skin. β-Carotene is a potent anti-inflammatory agent, which improves AD-like skin by enhancing the skin barrier function.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Animals; beta Carotene; Cytokines; Dermatitis, Atopic; Diet; Epidermis; Extracellular Matrix; Filaggrin Proteins; Gene Expression; Inflammation; Intermediate Filament Proteins; Male; Mice, Hairless

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic relapsing eczematous skin disease. Certain populations of patients are resistant to standard therapies with topical steroids and/or calcineurin inhibitors, and require systemic medication, such as immunosuppressants. Recently, several reports have shed light on the anti-allergic effects of carotenoids. Therefore, we investigated the effect of p.o. administration of β-carotene or lycopene on AD-like symptoms of HR-1 hairless mice fed with a low zinc/magnesium diet. Mice were divided into four groups: (i) fed with a standard diet (Co group); (ii) low zinc/magnesium diet (HR group); (iii) low zinc/magnesium and β-carotene diet (HR-C group); and (iv) low zinc/magnesium and lycopene diet (HR-L group). They were then fed these diets for 8 weeks. Severities of dermatitis were assessed by their appearance, and histopathological and hematological observations. Mice in the HR group developed AD-like dermatitis both clinically and histologically. HR-C and HR-L group mice also developed xerosis and wrinkle-like skin changes, but they were milder than those of HR group mice. Histological analysis revealed that epidermis thickening and inflammatory cell infiltration in the skin of the HR-C and HR-L groups were both statistically less than those of the HR group. The concentration of thymus and activation regulated chemokine in the skin of the HR-L group and the concentration of CCL27 in the skin of the HR-C group were significantly lower than those of the HR group, respectively. In conclusion, p.o. administration of β-carotene or lycopene prevents AD-like symptoms in association with a suppression of T-helper 2 chemokines in a murine model. Ingestion of carotenoids may be beneficial for patients with AD.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Animals; Anti-Allergic Agents; beta Carotene; Carotenoids; Chemokine CCL27; Dermatitis, Atopic; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Disease Models, Animal; Epidermis; Humans; Lycopene; Magnesium; Male; Mice; Mice, Hairless; Th2 Cells; Zinc

To investigate the association of antioxidant nutritional status with the risk of atopic dermatitis (AD) in young children in a case-control, population-based study.. Identified from preschools by using the Korean version of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Final analysis included 180 AD (mean age 5.3+/-0.9 years) and 242 non-AD (mean age 5.2+/-1.0 years) children. Diet was assessed using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Fasting blood samples were used for analyses of fat-soluble vitamins (retinol, alpha-tocopherol, and beta-carotene) and vitamin C.. AD was associated negatively with intakes of antioxidant-related nutrients. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were 0.44 (0.22-0.88) for the highest (vs lowest) quintile of beta-carotene. A similar association was observed for dietary vitamin E (OR=0.33, 95% CI=0.16-0.67), folic acid (OR=0.37, 95% CI=0.18-0.73), and iron (OR=0.39, 95% CI=0.19-0.79). Reduced AD risk was found with 1 s.d. increase of serum alpha-tocopherol [OR=0.64, 95% CI=0.41-0.98) and retinol (OR=0.74, 95% CI=0.58-0.96) concentrations, and marginally with that of serum beta-carotene levels (P=0.0749 for trend). There was no relationship of AD risk with dietary and plasma vitamin C as well as nutrient supplement intake regardless of nutrient type. AD was predicted better by the intake measure than the corresponding blood biomarker regarding vitamin E and beta-carotene.. These findings suggest that higher antioxidant nutritional status reduces the risk of AD and that such risk-reduction effects depend on nutrient type.

Topics: alpha-Tocopherol; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; beta Carotene; Biomarkers; Case-Control Studies; Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Child, Preschool; Dermatitis, Atopic; Diet; Female; Humans; Korea; Male; Nutritional Status; Odds Ratio; Risk Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Vitamin A