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JAC Advance Access originally published online on December 12, 2002
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Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (2003) 51, 113-122
© 2003 The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

Antibacterial effect of ß-thujaplicin on staphylococci isolated from atopic dermatitis: relationship between changes in the number of viable bacterial cells and clinical improvement in an eczematous lesion of atopic dermatitis

Yaeno Arima1,*, Yoriko Nakai1, Ritsuko Hayakawa2 and Takeshi Nishino1

1 Department of Microbiology, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, 5 Nakauchi-cho, Misasagi, Yamashina-ku, Kyoto 607-8414; 2 Department of Environmental Dermatology, Nagoya University School of Medicine, 1-1-20 Daikominami, Higashi-ku, Nagoya 461-0047, Japan

Received 3 July 2002; returned 12 September 2002; revised 27 September 2002; accepted 8 October 2002

ß-Thujaplicin (hinokitiol) is a tropolone-related compound purified from the wood of Chamaecyparis obtusa, Sieb. et Zucc. and Thuja plicata D. Don. All Staphylococcus aureus isolates were inhibited by ß-thujaplicin with MICs of 1.56–3.13 mg/L. However, a paradoxical zone phenomenon occurred, with each isolate producing regrowth at higher ß-thujaplicin concentrations. Other antimicrobial agents showed a wide range of MICs. The combination of ß-thujaplicin and zinc oxide inhibited the paradoxical zone phenomenon, and enhanced killing activity against clinically isolated staphylococci. Large numbers of viable bacterial cells, especially S. aureus cells, were detected in the skin surface of atopic dermatitis, in comparison with those in healthy volunteers. The number of cells increased as the severity of the skin condition worsened. Topical application of ß-thujaplicin resulted in a reduction in the number of bacterial cells on the skin surface, and an improvement in skin condition after treatment. The results of this study suggest that the degree of reduction in the number of viable bacterial cells in an eczematous lesion of atopic dermatitis is related to the degree of improvement in skin condition.

Keywords: ß-thujaplicin, staphylococci, MRSA, atopic dermatitis, zinc oxide

* Corresponding author. Fax: +81-75-595-4755; E-mail: arima3{at}kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp


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