Clinical Efficacy of Oligofructans from Ophiopogon japonicus in Reducing Atopic Dermatitis Flare-ups in Caucasian Patients

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic relapsing inflammat-ry skin disease that affects 15–20% of children and 2–10% of adults worldwide. Topical treatments in-clude corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors, de-spite frequently observed adverse events, such as skin atrophy, itching and burning sensations. Alternative treatments that can prolong disease relief between flare-upsare therefore needed. A randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre clinical trial was conducted in a cohort of 90 Caucasian children and 144 adults with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis. Tested products were applied twice daily for 60 days. A natural active ingredient from Ophiopogon japonicus, which improves atopic dermatitis symptoms in vivo, was successful in reducing SCORing of Atopic Derma-titis (SCORAD), including erythema, pruritus and body surface area, in both cohorts. The active ingredient also improved patient’s quality of life and significanly reduced the number of patients relapsing compared with placebo. In conclusion, this treatment could be effective to help control mild-to-moderate atopic der-matitis between flare-ups