Partially hydrolyzed guar gum ingestion suppresses atopic dermatitis-like symptoms through prebiotic effect in mice

Growing knowledge reveals the association between the gut microbiome and skin, rendering the gut microbiome an appealing potential therapeutic target for atopic dermatitis (AD). In this study, we assessed the effect of partially hydrolyzed guar gum (PHGG) on AD-like symptoms induced by topical 1-Chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNCB) in BALB/c mice. Four weeks of PHGG feeding prevented the loss of epidermal barrier integrity and epithelial hyperplasia in the AD lesion (p<0.05, effect size >0.80), indicating a reduction in AD-like symptoms. According to the postulated mechanism, PHGG ingestion modulates the gut microbiome resulting in enhanced butyrate production (p<0.05). Butyrate suppresses Th2 function in gut immunity, which is believed to have significance in systemic immune regulation. The lowering of blood Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10, p<0.05) in the PHGG-fed group confirmed the existence of such a pathway, and butyrate can possibly be considered to have an indirect involvement in the suppression of Th2 immune response in the AD lesions. These findings encourage support for an association between gut microbiome and skin through the immune system, implying that daily PHGG ingestion may be beneficial for suppressing AD symptoms across the gut-immune-skin axis.