Combination treatment with lipoteichoic acids isolated from Lactobacillus plantarum and Staphylococcus aureus alleviates atopic dermatitis via upregulation of CD55 and CD59.

The innate immune complement system helps clear invading pathogens by forming membrane attack complexes (MACs) on their surface. Abnormal activation of the complement system may aggravate atopic dermatitis (AD) symptoms in AD patients. Here, we investigated the anti-AD effects of LTAs isolated from Lactobacillus plantarum (pLTA) and Staphylococcus aureus (aLTA) by examination of complement regulatory proteins (CRPs). Combination treatment with pLTA and aLTA increased CD55 and CD59 production in HaCaT cells. The regulation of CD55 and CD59 was mediated by p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38) signaling pathways in pLTA- and aLTA-treated cells. Complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and bactericidal assays revealed that combination treatment with pLTA and aLTA down-regulated the complement system. In experiments using an irritant contact dermatitis (ICD)-induced mouse model, the levels of MAC and C3 convertase (C3C) were lower in serum collected from pLTA- and aLTA-injected mice than in serum from mice who were untreated or received pLTA or aLTA alone. Combination treatment also inhibited IgE and CCL2 levels in ICD mice. On the other hand, IFN-γ level was significantly increased, indicating that combination treatment switches the Th2 response to a Th1 response. Our results suggest that combination treatment with LTAs could be a good therapeutic approach to alleviate AD by reducing formation of MACs and inducing a Th1 response.