Topical probiotic Lactobacillus lactis treatment in atopic dermatitis: a placebo-controlled pilot study on tolerability and efficacy
- zeemfindsout
- Apr 5
- 2 min read
The big idea:
The tolerability and efficacy of probiotic lactobacillus lactis lysate cream in treating atopic dermatitis is investigated by measuring patients' qualitative feedback (e.g. Dermatology life quality index) and clinical patient data (e.g. eosinophil count).
Probiotic lactobacillus lactis lysate creams are part of a newer “microbiome-based” approach to treating atopic dermatitis.
This approach repairs the skin barrier function and modulates inflammation.
What the study asked:
How does the use of topical probiotic lactobacillus lactis lysate cream affect atopic dermatitis symptoms?
Explanation of key terms:
Lysate: Broken fragments of bacteria (not live bacteria).
These fragments signal skin cells to increase production of key structural proteins to thicken the epidermis and improve cohesion between skin cells. This results in a stronger skin barrier through preventing water loss and preventing irritants/allergens from penetrating the skin barrier and thus triggering AD.
Lysate also can stimulate the production of antimicrobial peptides which helps to control harmful bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus which worsens AD.
What the study did:
13 patients with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis used creams containing different concentrations of probiotic lysate (3%,10%,30%) against a placebo cream for 4 weeks.
The study was randomised and double blind (neither patients nor researchers knew who received placebo and who did not).
The effectiveness was determined by measuring:
disease severity
skin barrier function
patient reported outcomes
lab markers
These measurements continued up to 8 weeks including post-treatment follow-up.
What the study found:
There was no significant difference between the probiotic cream and placebo for eczema severity, skin barrier function and symptoms or quality of life.
The probiotic cream was well tolerated (no major side effects)
What this means for eczema:
While this is a pilot study (small and exploratory), there appears to be no significant difference in using the placebo cream compared to the probiotic cream.
However, since this method is relatively new, more large scale and long term research needs to be done to more certainly determine the effects of using probiotic lactis lysate treatment on eczema.
Link to study:
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