{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T11:11:54Z","timestamp":1785409914112,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,21]],"date-time":"2026-07-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784592000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100011705","name":"Korea Institute of Marine Science & Technology Promotion (KIMST) funded by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["20220534"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["20220534"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100011705","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["20220534"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["20220534"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00c5s4a53","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pharmaceutics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a multifactorial inflammatory skin disorder in which epidermal barrier disruption and dysregulated immune responses drive persistent cutaneous inflammation. Owing to their broad spectrum of biological activities, marine-derived peptides have attracted increasing attention as potential therapeutic agents capable of modulating inflammatory and immune pathways. Methods: In this study, a novel peptide, WPN-15 (NGAIADQQPQRPNIV), was isolated from enzymatic hydrolysates of walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) tail by-products using an activity-guided purification process consisting of dialysis, fast protein liquid chromatography-gel permeation chromatography (FPLC-GPC), reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The anti-inflammatory activity of WPN-15 was first examined in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages, and subsequently validated in a 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced atopic dermatitis model using six-week-old male BALB\/c mice. Results: WPN-15 significantly inhibited nitric oxide production in LPS-stimulated macrophages without causing cytotoxic effects. Topical administration of WPN-15 markedly alleviated DNCB-induced AD-like kin lesions, significantly reduced dermatitis severity scores, and decreased serum interleukin (IL)-6 levels. Histological evaluation further demonstrated that WPN-15 attenuated epidermal hyperplasia, dermal thickening, and mast cell infiltration. Furthermore, WPN-15 significantly downregulated the mRNA expression of IL-1\u03b2 and IL-6 and inhibited signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation in skin tissues, indicating that its protective effects are mediated, at least in part, through the suppression of the IL-6\/STAT3 signaling pathway. Conclusions: WPN-15 effectively attenuated inflammatory responses and pathological features associated with experimental AD. These findings demonstrate that walleye pollock tail by-products represent a valuable and sustainable source of bioactive peptides and support the potential application of WPN-15 as a marine-derived therapeutic candidate for the management of AD.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pharmaceutics18070895","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,21]],"date-time":"2026-07-21T16:16:39Z","timestamp":1784650599000},"page":"895","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Marine Peptide, WPN-15, from Walleye Pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) Tail By-Products and Its Therapeutic Effects Against Atopic Dermatitis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Sung-Gyu","family":"Lee","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Health Science, Dankook University, Cheonan-si 31116, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Marine Bio-Food and Drug Convergence Technology Center, Dankook University, Cheonan-si 31116, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jin-Woo","family":"Hwang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Health Science, Dankook University, Cheonan-si 31116, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Marine Bio-Food and Drug Convergence Technology Center, Dankook University, Cheonan-si 31116, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hyun","family":"Kang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Health Science, Dankook University, Cheonan-si 31116, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Marine Bio-Food and Drug Convergence Technology Center, Dankook University, Cheonan-si 31116, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"304","DOI":"10.1111\/bjd.19580","article-title":"The global burden of atopic dermatitis: Lessons from the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990\u20132017","volume":"184","author":"Laughter","year":"2021","journal-title":"Br. 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