Modulatory effects of PG102 (Actinidia arguta) on inflammatory cytokine mRNA expression in canine atopic dermatitis

Canine atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common, chronic relapsing inflammatory skin disease. An aqueous extract, PG102, derived from Actinidia arguta fruit, has been investigated as an anti-inflammatory agent in humans and atopylike animal models, but its underlying mechanism for canine AD treatment has not been fully understood. This study evaluated the in vitro anti-inflammatory effect of PG102 with respect to the representative allergy-related cytokine panel from dust mite allergen extract (DME)-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of canine AD patients using quantitative real-time PCR. PBMCs were isolated from eight dogs with definite diagnoses of AD and stimulated with DME for 12 hours in the presence of PG102 (0.1, 1, 10 and 100 μg/ml). The PG102 treatment effectively inhibited the DME-induced TNF-α, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and IFN-γ mRNA expression. However, no significant changes in the mRNA expression levels of IL-10 and TGF-β! were found in the present results. These data suggest that PG102 might be a promising candidate for canine AD therapeutic agent.