Therapeutic Effects of Methanol Extract from Euphorbia kansui Radix on Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis

Figure 1

Experimental procedure and effects of the oral administration of EKC on dermatitis lesions. (a) Experimental overview. Day 1 was defined as the first administration of EKC (20 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, and 200 mg/kg). After 22 days, imiquimod cream was applied to the shaved back skin of the mice. Methotrexate (MTX) was used as positive control. (b) Imiquimod was applied daily to Balb/c mice. After 7 days, pictures of mice were taken and the phenotypical symptoms of the mouse back skin were observed. The variation in body weight was measured for 7 days. (c) Dermatitis scores (back thickness, redness, and scaling) were evaluated every other day from day 22 to day 28. Back thickness and total score (erythema plus thickness plus scaling) are presented as mean ± SD (). (d) H&E staining of skin tissue treated with MTX or different doses of EKC (original magnification, ×200). (e) Acanthosis was evaluated by measuring the length of the epidermal cell layers. Three sections per mouse sample were analyzed. The dermal infiltrating cells were counted from three random sections of each sample. Bars represent the median. ; ; and compared with imiquimod + water group.

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