{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T21:08:23Z","timestamp":1792184903940,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,7,30]],"date-time":"2021-07-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1627603200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic and persistent inflammatory skin disease characterized by eczematous lesions and itching, and it has become a serious health problem. However, the common clinical treatments provide limited relief and are accompanied by adverse effects. Therefore, there is a need to develop novel and effective therapies to treat AD. Neferine is a small molecule compound isolated from the green embryo of the mature seeds of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera). It has a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid structure. Relevant studies have shown that neferine has many pharmacological and biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic, and anti-diabetic activities. However, there are very few studies on neferine in the skin, especially the related effects on inflammatory skin diseases. In this study, we proved that it has the potential to be used in the treatment of atopic dermatitis. Through in vitro studies, we found that neferine inhibited the expression of cytokines and chemokines in TNF-\u03b1\/IFN-\u03b3-stimulated human keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells, and it reduced the phosphorylation of MAPK and the NF-\u03baB signaling pathway. Through in vivo experiments, we used 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) to induce atopic dermatitis-like skin inflammation in a mouse model. Our results show that neferine significantly decreased the skin barrier damage, scratching responses, and epidermal hyperplasia induced by DNCB. It significantly decreased transepidermal water loss (TEWL), erythema, blood flow, and ear thickness and increased surface skin hydration. Moreover, it also inhibited the expression of cytokines and the activation of signaling pathways. These results indicate that neferine has good potential as an alternative medicine for the treatment of atopic dermatitis or other skin-related inflammatory diseases.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms22158237","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,1]],"date-time":"2021-08-01T21:51:07Z","timestamp":1627854667000},"page":"8237","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":72,"title":["Effect of Neferine on DNCB-Induced Atopic Dermatitis in HaCaT Cells and BALB\/c Mice"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"22","author":[{"given":"Chung-Chi","family":"Yang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Taoyuan Armed Forces General Hospital, Taoyuan City 32551, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yen-Ling","family":"Hung","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Science, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wen-Chin","family":"Ko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan"},{"name":"Division of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Department of Cardiovascular Center, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei 10630, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yi-Ju","family":"Tsai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Science, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jia-Feng","family":"Chang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology, En Chu Kong Hospital, New Taipei City 23702, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9903-7473","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cher-Wei","family":"Liang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Der-Chen","family":"Chang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mathematics and Statistics and Department of Computer Science, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3478-5451","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chi-Feng","family":"Hung","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan"},{"name":"PhD Program in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan"},{"name":"Department of Fragrance and Cosmetic Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,7,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"63","DOI":"10.12677\/MC.2018.23010","article-title":"Review on the Chemical Constituents and Bioactivities of Nelumbinis plumula","volume":"2","author":"Qin","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. 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