Anti‑inflammatory effects of Cryptotympana atrata Fabricius slough shed on contact dermatitis induced by dinitrofluorobenzene in mice

Background: The slough shed of Cryptotympana atrata Fabricius is widely used to treat skin diseases in China, Japan, and Korea. Objective: To investigate the anti‑inflammatory effects of C. atrata on contact dermatitis. Materials and Methods: We investigated the effects of C. atrata methanol extract (MECA) on ear swelling, histophathological changes and cytokine production in 1‑fluoro‑2,4‑dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB)‑induced contact dermatitis (CD) mice. Results: Topical application of MECA effectively inhibited enlargement of ear swelling (30 and 100 m/ear, P < 0.05; 300 mg/ear, P < 0.01). MECA treatment also inhibited hyperplasia, spongiosis (100 and 300 mg/ear, P < 0.001), and immune cell infiltration (30 mg/ear, P < 0.05; 100 and 300 mg/ear, P < 0.001) induced by DNFB. In addition, treatment with MECA suppressed the increase in the levels of TNF‑a (P < 0.05), IFN‑g (3, 100 mg/ear, P < 0.05; 300 mg/ear, P < 0.01), and IL‑6 (100 mg/ear, P < 0.05; 300 mg/ear, P < 0.01) production. Conclusion: These data suggest that MECA has the potential for use in the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases, including CD. Moreover, the results presented herein indicate that anti‑inflammatory actions of MECA are mediated by decreasing production of TNF‑α, IFN‑g, and IL‑6 in inflamed tissues.