AnimalTestingforEczema

(MinaYamamoto,TakayoHaruna,KiyoshiYasui,HisashiTakahashi,MihoIduhara,Shigeki
Takaki,MasashiDeguchiandAkinoriArimura.
ANovelAtopicDermatitisModelInducedby
TopicalApplicationwithDermatophagoidesFarinaeExtractinNCNgaMice
.
Allergology
International
.NC/Nga,MayJune2007.Web.3Apr.2016.)

Eczemaisaconditionthatmakesyourskinredanditchy.Animalmodelsinducedby
similarallergenplayanimportantroleintheexplanationofthisdisease.Dermatophagoides
farinae(Df),highlysensitivemiteallergen,extractointmentwasrepeatedlyappliedtotheback
ofNC/Ngamice.TherepeatedapplicationofDfcausedarapidincreaseindermatitisscores.
Historicalandclinicalsymptomsinthismodelwereverysimilartothoseinhumancases.These
modelssuggestthatthisisveryusefulfornotonlyexplainingthepathogenesisbutalsofor
evaluatingagents.

AllthemiceusedinthismodelwerefemaleandfromtheNC/Nga,purchasedfrom
CharlesRiver.Allthemicewerehousedunderconditionsof2026degreescelsius,3070%
humidity,andhadlightingfrom8amto8pmeveryday.Foodandtapwaterwereprovidedtothe
mice.Allmicewerealso1015weeksofage.

ThedrugsusedonthemicewereBetamethasoneDipropionateointment(0.064%),and
Tacrolimusointment(0.1%)wasusedinthisstudy.

Fortheprocedurethemicewereanesthetizedandthehairontheirupperbackwasshaved
withclippers.Theprocedurewasperformedbyapplicationof100mgofDfointmentbaseonthe
shavedskinandbothsideofeachear.Disruptionwasachievedby150ulof4%ofsodium
dodecylsulfatetreatmentontheshavedskinandears3hoursbeforetheDfointmentapplication.
Thisprocedurewasrepeatedtwiceaweek.Theseverityoftheeczemawasobservedoneaweek,
justbeforeeachelicitation.

Theobservationoftheskinwasfixedwith10%neutralformalin.Afterbeingtestedand
observedundermicroscopeslessthan0.05%wasconsideredtobestatisticallysignificant.They
repeatedlyappliedDfointmenttothemicesskin.Theyhadsplitthemiceintofourgroups.
GroupAhadabarrierdisruptionandDfointment.GroupBhadDfointmentwithoutbarrier
disruption.GroupChadBarrierdisruptionandointmentbase.GroupDhadointmentbase
withoutbarrierdisruption.GroupAshowedarapidincreaseandsignificantafter2weeksofthe
firstelicitationandhadscratchingbehavior.ThesesymptomswerenotfoundinGroupCand
GroupD.HoweverinGroupBskinhadminimalobservationsbuttherewasskindryness
occurring.

Inthepresentstudy,itdemonstratedthatrepeatedapplicationwithDfextractointment
inducedatopicdermatitislikeskinlesionsinNC/Ngamice.Interestingly,thedermatitisscore
remainedhighforatleast2weeksafterapplicationofDfbointmentwasstopped.Thisisvery
convenientforevaluationoftheefficacyoftopicallyapplieddrugs,becausetherewouldbeno
questionaboutthepossibilityforaninteractionbetweenthedrugandtheantigen.Findingthat
corticosteroidandtacrolimusointmentsthatareusedforthetreatmentofhumanatopic
dermatitisexhibitedsignificantsuppressiveeffectsontheskinlesions.Thesefindingsstrongly
suggestthatthismodelcanbeusefulfornotonlyelucidatingthepathogenesisofatopic
dermatitisbutalsofortheevaluatingnoveltherapeuticagents.

RepeatedapplicationwithDfextractointmentcouldinduceatopicdermatitislikeskin
lesionsinNC/Ngamice.Clinicalsymptomsappearinginthismodelbeganwithskindryness,
followedbymilderythema,hemorrhageandedema.Finally,theskinbecamethickandsevere
erythema,hemorrhage,edema,scarring,erosionandexcoriationwereobserved.Histologically,
theskinshowedsignificantthickeningofthedermisandepidermis.