Fatty Acid-Rich Fraction of <i>Hibiscus syriacus</i> L. Alleviates Atopic Dermatitis-like Skin Lesions Mouse Model via Inflammatory Pathway Modulation: Integrative Docking and Experimental Validation
Atopic dermatitis (AD) remains a therapeutic challenge due to the limitations of current treatments, creating demand for safer multi-target alternatives to corticosteroids. Our integrated study establishes <i>Hibiscus syriacus</i> L. (<i>H. syriacus</i>) as a mechanistically...
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2025-08-01
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| author | Trang Thi Minh Nguyen Bom Park Xiangji Jin Qiwen Zheng Gyeong-Seon Yi Su-Jin Yang Tae-Hoo Yi |
| author_facet | Trang Thi Minh Nguyen Bom Park Xiangji Jin Qiwen Zheng Gyeong-Seon Yi Su-Jin Yang Tae-Hoo Yi |
| author_sort | Trang Thi Minh Nguyen |
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| description | Atopic dermatitis (AD) remains a therapeutic challenge due to the limitations of current treatments, creating demand for safer multi-target alternatives to corticosteroids. Our integrated study establishes <i>Hibiscus syriacus</i> L. (<i>H. syriacus</i>) as a mechanistically validated solution through computational and biological validation. The fraction’s two main compounds, linoleic acid and palmitic acid, exhibit favorable drug-like properties including high lipophilicity (LogP 5.2) and 87% oral absorption. Molecular docking collectively predicts comprehensive NF-κB pathway blockade. Experimental validation showed that the fraction (100 μg/mL) inhibited LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) by 78% and TNF-α/IFN-γ-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) by 40%, while significantly downregulating the chemokines TARC (73%) and MDC (71%). In DNCB-induced AD mice, the treatment (200 mg/kg/day) produced a 62% improvement in clinical severity scores, reduced serum IgE by 27%, decreased transepidermal water loss by 36%, and doubled skin hydration while normalizing pH levels from the alkaline to physiological range. While both treatments reduced DNCB-induced epidermal hyperplasia, <i>H. syriacus</i> (62.9% reduction) restored the normal thickness without pathological thinning, a critical advantage over corticosteroids that cause atrophy. This dual-action therapeutic achieves corticosteroid-level anti-inflammatory effects while restoring skin barrier integrity to normal levels and avoiding corticosteroid-associated atrophy, positioning it as a next-generation AD treatment. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
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| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj-art-05f8e04ecf674ec2b60e9a707a170c3b2025-08-20T03:36:22ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-08-011415244710.3390/plants14152447Fatty Acid-Rich Fraction of <i>Hibiscus syriacus</i> L. Alleviates Atopic Dermatitis-like Skin Lesions Mouse Model via Inflammatory Pathway Modulation: Integrative Docking and Experimental ValidationTrang Thi Minh Nguyen0Bom Park1Xiangji Jin2Qiwen Zheng3Gyeong-Seon Yi4Su-Jin Yang5Tae-Hoo Yi6Graduate School of Biotechnology, Kyung Hee University, 1732, Yongin-si 17104, Republic of KoreaGraduate School of Biotechnology, Kyung Hee University, 1732, Yongin-si 17104, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 23 Kyungheedae-ro, Dong-daemun, Seoul 02447, Republic of KoreaGraduate School of Biotechnology, Kyung Hee University, 1732, Yongin-si 17104, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Biopharmaceutical Biotechnology, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, 1732 Deogyeong-daero, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si 17104, Republic of KoreaGraduate School of Biotechnology, Kyung Hee University, 1732, Yongin-si 17104, Republic of KoreaGraduate School of Biotechnology, Kyung Hee University, 1732, Yongin-si 17104, Republic of KoreaAtopic dermatitis (AD) remains a therapeutic challenge due to the limitations of current treatments, creating demand for safer multi-target alternatives to corticosteroids. Our integrated study establishes <i>Hibiscus syriacus</i> L. (<i>H. syriacus</i>) as a mechanistically validated solution through computational and biological validation. The fraction’s two main compounds, linoleic acid and palmitic acid, exhibit favorable drug-like properties including high lipophilicity (LogP 5.2) and 87% oral absorption. Molecular docking collectively predicts comprehensive NF-κB pathway blockade. Experimental validation showed that the fraction (100 μg/mL) inhibited LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) by 78% and TNF-α/IFN-γ-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) by 40%, while significantly downregulating the chemokines TARC (73%) and MDC (71%). In DNCB-induced AD mice, the treatment (200 mg/kg/day) produced a 62% improvement in clinical severity scores, reduced serum IgE by 27%, decreased transepidermal water loss by 36%, and doubled skin hydration while normalizing pH levels from the alkaline to physiological range. While both treatments reduced DNCB-induced epidermal hyperplasia, <i>H. syriacus</i> (62.9% reduction) restored the normal thickness without pathological thinning, a critical advantage over corticosteroids that cause atrophy. This dual-action therapeutic achieves corticosteroid-level anti-inflammatory effects while restoring skin barrier integrity to normal levels and avoiding corticosteroid-associated atrophy, positioning it as a next-generation AD treatment.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/15/2447atopic dermatitiscorticosteroidfatty acids<i>Hibiscus syriacus</i>inflammationmolecular docking |
| spellingShingle | Trang Thi Minh Nguyen Bom Park Xiangji Jin Qiwen Zheng Gyeong-Seon Yi Su-Jin Yang Tae-Hoo Yi Fatty Acid-Rich Fraction of <i>Hibiscus syriacus</i> L. Alleviates Atopic Dermatitis-like Skin Lesions Mouse Model via Inflammatory Pathway Modulation: Integrative Docking and Experimental Validation Plants atopic dermatitis corticosteroid fatty acids <i>Hibiscus syriacus</i> inflammation molecular docking |
| title | Fatty Acid-Rich Fraction of <i>Hibiscus syriacus</i> L. Alleviates Atopic Dermatitis-like Skin Lesions Mouse Model via Inflammatory Pathway Modulation: Integrative Docking and Experimental Validation |
| title_full | Fatty Acid-Rich Fraction of <i>Hibiscus syriacus</i> L. Alleviates Atopic Dermatitis-like Skin Lesions Mouse Model via Inflammatory Pathway Modulation: Integrative Docking and Experimental Validation |
| title_fullStr | Fatty Acid-Rich Fraction of <i>Hibiscus syriacus</i> L. Alleviates Atopic Dermatitis-like Skin Lesions Mouse Model via Inflammatory Pathway Modulation: Integrative Docking and Experimental Validation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fatty Acid-Rich Fraction of <i>Hibiscus syriacus</i> L. Alleviates Atopic Dermatitis-like Skin Lesions Mouse Model via Inflammatory Pathway Modulation: Integrative Docking and Experimental Validation |
| title_short | Fatty Acid-Rich Fraction of <i>Hibiscus syriacus</i> L. Alleviates Atopic Dermatitis-like Skin Lesions Mouse Model via Inflammatory Pathway Modulation: Integrative Docking and Experimental Validation |
| title_sort | fatty acid rich fraction of i hibiscus syriacus i l alleviates atopic dermatitis like skin lesions mouse model via inflammatory pathway modulation integrative docking and experimental validation |
| topic | atopic dermatitis corticosteroid fatty acids <i>Hibiscus syriacus</i> inflammation molecular docking |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/15/2447 |
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