Lactobacillus pentosus GMNL-77 inhibits skin lesions in imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like mice
Yi-Hsing Chen a,1, Chieh-Shan Wu b,1, Ya-Husan Chao a, Chi-Chen Lin a,c,
Hui-Yun Tsai d,e, Yi-Rong Li a, Yi-Zhen Chen e, Wan-Hua Tsai f, Yu-Kuo Chen e,*
a Institute of Biomedical Science and Rong Hsing Research Center for Translational Medicine, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
b Department of Dermatology, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
c Department of Medical Research and Education, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
d Department of Food Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
e Department of Food Science, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
f Research and Development Department, GenMont Biotech Incorporation, Tainan, Taiwan
Psoriasis, which is regarded as a T-cell-mediated chronic inflammatory skin disease, is characterized by hyperproliferation and poor differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes. In this study, we aimed to determine the in vivo effect of a potentially probiotic strain, Lactobacillus pentosus GMNL-77, in imiquimod-induced epidermal hyperplasia and psoriasis-like skin inflammation in BALB/c mice. Oral administration of L. pentosus GMNL-77 significantly decreased erythematous scaling lesions. Real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that treatment with L. pentosus GMNL-77 significantly decreased the mRNA levels of proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, and the IL-23/IL-17A axis-associated cytokines (IL-23, IL-17A/F, and IL-22) in the skin of imiquimod-treated mice. In addition, we found that L. pentosus GMNL-77 decreased the spleen weights of the imiquimod-treated group and reduced the numbers of IL-17- and IL-22-producing CD4+ T cells in the spleen. In conclusion, the present study provides insight into the potential use of L. pentosus GMNL-77 in the future treatment of psoriasis.
Keywords: cytokines; imiquimod; inflammation; Lactobacillus pentosus GMNL-77; psoriasis; T cells