Oral administration of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum GKK1 ameliorates atopic dermatitis in a mouse model

Tzu-Chun Lin; Yu-Chieh Wu; You-Shan Tsai; Shih-Wei Lin; Chin-Chu Chen; Ming-Ju Chen; Yen-Po Chen

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2025.1566594

Oral administration of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum GKK1 ameliorates atopic dermatitis in a mouse model

Front Microbiol. 2025 Jun 3:16:1566594. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1566594. eCollection 2025.

Authors

Tzu-Chun Lin¹, Yu-Chieh Wu², You-Shan Tsai¹, Shih-Wei Lin¹, Chin-Chu Chen^{1

3

4}, Ming-Ju Chen^#^{2

5}, Yen-Po Chen^#^{6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Biotech Research Institute, Grape King Bio Ltd., Taoyuan, Taiwan.
² Department of Animal Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
³ Department of Food Science, Nutrition, and Nutraceutical Biotechnology, Shih Chien University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁴ Institute of Food Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁵ Center for Biotechnology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁶ Department of Animal Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁷ The iEGG and Animal Biotechnology Research Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background/objectives: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a prevalent chronic skin condition, especially in young children, with rising incidence in developed countries. AD causes repeated scratching, and thus affecting quality of life. This study evaluated the effects and mechanisms of the probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum GKK1 on AD symptoms in mice.

Methods: Five-week-old BALB/c mice were divided into four groups (n = 8): control, AD, low-dose GKK1 (10⁷ CFU/day), and high-dose GKK1 (10⁹ CFU/day). GKK1 was intragastrically administered daily for 42 days. AD symptoms, skin histology, serum antibodies, inflammatory cytokine levels, gut microbiota composition, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the intestines were assessed.

Results: GKK1 showed improved skin appearance and reduced inflammation in AD mice, with high-dose GKK1 significantly reducing histological inflammation. The GKK1 treatment upregulated splenic interleukin (IL)-2, suppressed IL-4, IL-5 and IL-17 levels and increased intestinal Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium spp., contributing to higher SCFAs production in intestine.

Conclusion: Oral L. plantarum GKK1 effectively ameliorated AD symptoms and reduced inflammation in mice. Therefore, L. plantarum GKK1 may serve as a potential treatment for AD.

Keywords: Lactiplantibacillus plantarum; atopic dermatitis; gut microbiota; interleukin 17; interleukin 2; interleukin 4; interleukin 5; short-chain fatty acids.