Pharmacological basis of the putative therapeutic effect of Topical Vitamin D3 on the experimental model of atopic dermatitis in mice

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to explore the effect of topical vitamin D3 in atopic dermatitis (AD) induced by ovalbumin (OVA) in contrast with topical betamethasone in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 35 BALB/c adult male mice, weighing between 25-30 gm were used to induce AD by topically sensitizing the dorsal surface of the skin with the OVA patch. Subsequently, treatments were performed in each group by application of vitamin D3 cream (0.0003%), betamethasone cream (0.1%), or vehi-cles (QV cream) on the skin. RESULTS: Remarkably, vitamin D3 had a marked improvement in the skin of OVA-induced AD mice. Additionally, vitamin D3 revealed a considerable diminution in the levels of IgE, IL -5, filaggrin, and epidermal thickness, whereas a significant augmentation in the levels of IL -4 and IL-13 was observed when compared with the control group, and histopathological studies had further confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS: This study essentially high-lighted the anti-inflammatory effect of vitamin D3 by effective alteration in the immunological components responsible for AD. Moreover, this pioneer experimental work represents a new paradigm and sheds a light on the importance of vitamin D3 in the implications of AD. A compre-hensive creative approach is crucial to concrete-ly establish and further corroborate vitamin D3 for this therapeutic role.