Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 22, 2025
Resolving Water, Proteins, and Lipids from In Vivo Confocal Raman Spectra of Stratum Corneum through a Chemometric Approach
Published on: September 26, 2019
Effects of Lactobacillus pentosus in Children with Allergen-Sensitized Atopic Dermatitis
So Hyun Ahn1, Wonsuck Yoon2, So Young Lee3,4
1Department of Pediatrics, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Insights
This study investigated Lactobacillus pentosus for atopic dermatitis (AD) in children. While overall symptom improvement was similar between groups, probiotics showed benefits for subjective symptom scores in allergen-sensitized AD.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Microbiology
- Dermatology
Background:
- Atopic dermatitis (AD) is linked to gut microbiome dysbiosis and immune imbalance.
- Oral probiotics are being explored for their potential to modulate these imbalances in AD.
- Lactobacillus pentosus is a specific probiotic strain investigated for its effects on AD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the clinical and immunological impact of Lactobacillus pentosus in children with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis.
- To assess changes in AD severity, skin barrier function, and immune markers.
- To analyze the effects on gut microbiota composition and diversity.
Main Methods:
- A randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving children aged 2-13 years with AD.
- Intervention with 1.0 × 10^10 colony-forming units of L. pentosus or placebo daily for 12 weeks.
- Assessment of clinical severity (SCORAD), transepidermal water loss, blood eosinophils, serum IgE, cytokine levels, and gut microbiota.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in overall clinical severity (SCORAD) or immunological markers between the L. pentosus and placebo groups at 12 weeks.
- Both groups showed significant symptom improvement over time.
- A significant reduction in subjective SCORAD scores was observed in the L. pentosus group compared to placebo specifically in children with IgE-sensitized AD.
Conclusions:
- Lactobacillus pentosus did not demonstrate additional clinical or immunological benefits beyond placebo for mild to moderate atopic dermatitis overall.
- However, L. pentosus showed a significant improvement in subjective symptom scores for allergen-sensitized AD patients.
- Further research may be warranted to explore targeted probiotic interventions for specific AD phenotypes.
Background:
Recent studies have shown that oral administration of probiotics may improve the immune imbalance caused by dysbiosis of the gut microbiome in atopic dermatitis (AD). This study aimed to investigate the clinical and immunological effects of Lactobacillus pentosus in children with mild to moderate AD.
Methods:
Children aged 2-13 years with AD were randomized to receive either 1.0 × 1010 colony-forming units of L. pentosus or placebo, daily, for 12 weeks. The clinical severity of AD and transepidermal water loss were evaluated. Blood eosinophil counts, serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE), and cytokine levels were measured. The diversity and composition of the gut microbiota were also analyzed.
Results:
Eighty-two children were recruited, and 41 were assigned to the probiotics intervention group. The mean scoring of atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) indices at baseline were 30.4 and 34.3 for the probiotics and placebo groups, respectively. At week 12, the mean indices were 23.6 and 23.1 for the probiotics and placebo groups, respectively. Clinical severity decreased significantly over time in both groups, with no significant difference between the two groups. In both groups, there were no significant differences in cytokine levels, microbial diversity, or the relative abundance of the gut microbiota at week 12 compared with the corresponding baseline values. The mean subjective scores of SCORAD indices after intervention for the probiotics group were significantly lower than those for the placebo group in IgE sensitized AD (P = 0.019).
Conclusion:
Our results show improved symptoms in the probiotics and placebo groups, and we could not find additional effects of L. pentosus in AD. However, the mean subjective scores of SCORAD indices for the probiotics group are significantly improved compared with those for the placebo group in allergen-sensitized AD.
