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Inhibition of imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis in mice by herbal extracts from some Indian medicinal plants

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Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune human skin disorder that is characterized by excessive proliferation of keratinocytes, scaly plaques, severe inflammation and erythema. The pathophysiology of psoriasis involves interplay between epidermal keratinocytes, T lymphocytes, leukocytes and vascular endothelium. Increased leukocyte recruitment and elevated levels of cytokines, growth factors and genetic factors like interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-17, IL-22, IL-23, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interferon (IFN)-γ, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, toll-like receptor (TLR)-2, signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT-3), 15-lipoxygenase (LOX)-2, coiled-coil alpha-helical rod protein 1 (CCHCR1), steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) and vitamin D receptor (VDR) are the most critical factors governing the exacerbation of psoriasis. In the present study, an attempt was made to elucidate the preventive role of herbal extracts of four dermo-protective Ayurvedic plants, Tinospora cordifolia (TC), Curcuma longa (CL), Celastrus paniculatus (CP) and Aloe vera (AV), against psoriasis-like dermatitis. Parkes (P) strain mice were initially induced with psoriasis-like dermatitis using topical application of imiquimod (IMQ, 5 %), followed by subsequent treatment with the herbal extracts to examine their curative effect on the psoriasis-like dermatitis-induced mice. The extracts were orally/topically administered to mice according to their ED/LD50 doses. Phenotypical observations, histological examinations, and semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) analyses of the skin and blood samples of the control, IMQ-treated and herbal extract-treated psoriasis-like dermatitis-induced mice lead to the conclusion that the combination extract from all the plants was instrumental in downregulating the overexpressed cytokines, which was followed by the CL extract. Moreover, lesser yet positive response was evident from CP and TC extracts. The results suggest that these plants can prove to have tremendous preventive potential against the disease and can open the way to new therapeutic strategies for psoriasis treatment.

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Abbreviations

IMQ:

Imiquimod

IL:

Interleukin

TNF:

Tumour necrosis factor

IFN:

Interferon

TGF:

Transforming growth factor

TLR:

Toll-like receptor

LOX:

Lipoxygenase

STAT:

Signal transducer and activator of transcription

CCHCR1:

Coiled-coil alpha-helical rod protein 1

StAR:

Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein

VDR:

Vitamin D receptor

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to DBT (Department of Biotechnology), Govt. of India, for financial support (Grant No. BT/PR13597/GBD/27/274/201). Authors sincerely acknowledge Prof. Rajiva Raman, Cytogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, for providing mice and animal house facility for conducting in vivo studies. NA is sponsored by UGC (University Grants Commission), India, in the form of a fellowship.

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The authors state no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Morphogenesis, Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Faculty of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, U.P., India

    Neha Arora & Shashi Pandey-Rai

  2. Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, U.P., India

    Kavita Shah

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  1. Neha Arora
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  2. Kavita Shah
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Correspondence to Shashi Pandey-Rai.

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Arora, N., Shah, K. & Pandey-Rai, S. Inhibition of imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis in mice by herbal extracts from some Indian medicinal plants. Protoplasma 253, 503–515 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-015-0829-y

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