Optimization of psoriasis mouse models.

Introduction: Psoriasis, is a common, chronic, autoimmune, inflammatory, relapsing disease, which would benefit from reliable and human-relevant animal models to test drugs pre-clinically and to understand their mechanism of action. Because of its ease of use, convenience and low cost, the imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like model is widely utilized; however, it is not known whether all mouse strains are equivalent and if the hairless mouse is appropriate, so that the imiquimod model can be further optimized.

Methods: Under similar experimental conditions, common mouse strains (BALB/c, C57BL/6J, and ApoE) and a new hairless strain (ApoE/SKH-hr2) as well as several inducers (IMQ, IMQ + acetic acid (AcOH) topical and IMQ + AcOH systemic) were compared by clinical, histopathological, biophysical and locomotor activity assessments.

Melissa officinalis ssp. altissima extracts: A therapeutic approach targeting psoriasis in mice.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Melissa officinalis L., commonly known as lemon balm, is one of the most well known edible and medicinal plants of the Lamiaceae family. It is quoted in almost all known medical treatises, from Antiquity up to modern era, such as Corpus Hippocraticum, Dioscorides' De Materia Medica and later on in medieval medical manuscripts and Pharmacopoeias.