This study investigated the effect of Chondria crassicaulis ethanol extract on degranulation of rat basophilic leukemia-2H3 cells and 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene-induced atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in Bagg Albino/c mice. General properties of Chondria crassicaulis (proximate analysis, total phenol and total flavonoid) were measured; moreover, beta-hexosaminidase release and cytotoxicity in rat basophilic leukemia-2H3 cells, severity of skin dermatitis, production of cytokines, and total immunoglobulin E content in an atopic dermatitis-like mouse model were estimated. Chondria crassicaulis ethanol extract decreased the secretion of beta-hexosaminidase without cytotoxicity in rat basophilic leukemia-2H3 cells and decreased the total immunoglobulin E content in serum. In addition, Chondria crassicaulis ethanol extract decreased the production of interleukin-4 and interleukin-5 in mouse splenocytes, whereas significantly increased the level of interferon gamma. Furthermore, Chondria crassicaulis ethanol extract alleviated skin lesions induced by atopic dermatitis without causing toxicity to mouse splenocytes. Therefore, the present study findings suggest that Chondria crassicaulis ethanol extract can relieve atopic dermatitis by regulating the activity of type 1 T helper and type 2 T helper cells that mediate cellular immune response and it can be used as an effective alternative therapy for atopic dermatitis.

Alginic acid is a polysaccharide obtained from brown algae, and its oligosaccharide has various functions such as antiviral, antitumor, immunoregulation, and antioxidant. However, because of its high viscosity, numerous studies have degraded the alginic acid by enzymes to improve its utilisation. In the present work, we characterised Sargassum fulvellum enzymatic extract (SFEE) using polysaccharide-degrading enzyme obtained from Shewanella oneidensis PKA 1008, and investigated its anti-inflammatory potential. S. fulvellum powder and crude enzyme were mixed at a ratio of 1:1 (v/v), and reacted at 30°C for 0 - 48 h to obtain the optimum degrading time. The changes in pH, colour, reducing sugar, and viscosity of SFEE were determined. The anti-inflammatory activity of SFEE was confirmed by measuring the expression level of nitric oxide (NO) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, and L-1β) in RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line. The reducing sugar content was found to increase 2.75-fold at 24 h as compared to that at the initial reaction point, but pH and viscosity decreased significantly with increasing reaction time. SFEE showed a high inhibitory effect on the levels of NO and pro-inflammatory cytokines. SFEE thus has great potential for development as a functional food and therapeutic material owing to its anti-inflammatory effect.