Chitin nanofibrils suppress skin inflammation in atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice

• Topical application of chitin nanofibrils (CNFs) for an atopic dermatitis model.
• CNFs suppress clinical and histological progression of atopic dermatitis.
• CNFs suppress the expression of NF-κB, COX-2, and iNOS in the skin.
• CNFs suppress clinical symptoms during the early stages of atopic dermatitis.

We evaluated the effect of chitin nanofibril (CNF) application via skin swabs on an experimental atopic dermatitis (AD) model.AD scores were lower, and hypertrophy and hyperkeratosis of the epidermis were suppressed after CNF treatment. Furthermore, inflammatory cell infiltration in both the epidermis and dermis was inhibited. CNFs also attenuated histological scores. The suppressive effects of CNFs were equal to those of corticosteroid application; however, chitin did not show these effects. CNF application might have anti-infllammatory effects via suppression of the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B, cyclooxygenase-2, and inducible nitric oxide synthase.In an early-stage model of experimental AD, CNFs suppressed AD progression to the same extent as corticosteroids. They also suppressed skin inflammation and IgE serum levels. Our findings indicate that CNF application could aid in the prevention or treatment of AD skin lesions.