Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42390065›Full record

ArticleBiomolecules & biomedicine2026

Indole-3-carbinol attenuates DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis in mice by reducing inflammation and IL-4/IL-13 expression.

Rabbia Kalim, Arham Shabbir, Hafsa Nasr, Aisha Mobashar, Abdulelah Alhazza, Hamoud Alotaibi, Mona Al Hamod, Saleh Alfuraih, Ali F Almutairy, Sulaiman M Alnasser and 2 more

Abstract read
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Article in Biomolecules & biomedicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Rabbia KalimDepartment of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Allied Health Sciences, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Pakistan.
Arham ShabbirDepartment of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Allied Health Sciences, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Pakistan.
Hafsa NasrDepartment of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Allied Health Sciences, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Pakistan.
Aisha MobasharFaculty of Pharmacy, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan.
Abdulelah AlhazzaDepartment of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Northern Border University, Rafha, Saudi Arabia.
Hamoud AlotaibiDepartment of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Northern Border University, Rafha, Saudi Arabia.
Mona Al HamodDepartment of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Northern Border University, Rafha, Saudi Arabia.
Saleh AlfuraihDepartment of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Northern Border University, Rafha, Saudi Arabia.
Ali F AlmutairyDepartment of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.
Sulaiman M AlnasserDepartment of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.
Waad AlrohilyDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Taibah University, Medina, Saudi Arabia.
Ashfaq AhmadDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, University of Hafr Al Batin, Hafr Al Batin, Saudi Arabia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD), commonly known as atopic eczema, is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. Indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a phytochemical naturally occurring in Brassica vegetables, has been traditionally used in folk medicine for inflammatory and metabolic disorders. This study investigated the immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of I3C in a mouse model of 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNCB)-induced atopic dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis was induced by DNCB sensitization on days 0 and 3. Following disease confirmation on day 7, mice received daily oral or topical administrations of I3C or prednisolone from day 7 to day 19. Macroscopic evaluations included dorsal skin and ear thickness measurements. Histopathological changes were assessed using hematoxylin and eosin staining, and hematological parameters were also analyzed. Gene expression of interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 in ear tissue was quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Computational molecular docking was performed to determine I3C's affinity for both cytokines. The data indicated that I3C attenuated DNCB-induced AD-like symptoms following both oral and topical administration. Treatment with I3C also resulted in reduced ear thickness. Hematological analysis revealed significantly decreased total leukocyte counts (TLC) and a general downward numerical trend in differential leukocyte count (DLC) parameters in I3C-treated groups. Histopathological evaluation confirmed that I3C ameliorated skin thickening and reduced inflammatory cell infiltration. Furthermore, IL-4 and IL-13 expression levels were decreased in I3C-treated groups. Molecular docking analysis demonstrated moderate binding affinities of -5.1 kcal/mol and -5.3 kcal/mol with IL-4 and IL-13, respectively. In conclusion, findings from this exploratory study suggest that I3C treatment ameliorated DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis in mice, evidenced by reductions in ear thickness and IL-4/IL-13 mRNA expression. Molecular docking analysis demonstrated moderate binding affinities of I3C toward IL-4 and IL-13, providing supportive evidence of potential ligand-protein interactions.

Indexed as

Dermatitis, AtopicIndolesInflammationInterleukin-13Interleukin-4AnimalsAnti-Inflammatory AgentsDinitrochlorobenzeneDisease Models, AnimalFemaleGene Expression RegulationMaleMiceMice, Inbred BALB CMolecular Docking SimulationAnti-Inflammatory AgentsDinitrochlorobenzeneIl4 protein, mouseindole-3-carbinolIndolesInterleukin-13Interleukin-4

Identifiers

PMID42390065
PMCPMC13667953

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.