(HealthDay)—Ivermectin (IVM) has anti-inflammatory properties that could be beneficial in treatment of T-cell mediated skin inflammatory diseases, according to an experimental study published online Jan. 4 in Allergy.

Erwan Ventre, Ph.D., from the Université de Lyon in France, and colleagues examined the activity of IVM in a murine model of atopic dermatitis induced by repeated exposure to Dermatophagoides farinae and in cellular immunology assays.

The researchers found that topical IVM correlated with improvement in allergic skin inflammation, with reduction of the priming and activation of allergen-specific T cells and the production of inflammatory cytokines. IVM had no major effect on dendritic cell functions in vivo and in vitro, but following polyclonal and antigen-specific stimulation, IVM did impair T-cell activation, proliferation, and cytokine production.

"Altogether, our results show that IVM is endowed with topical anti-inflammatory properties that could have important applications for the treatment of T-cell mediated skin inflammatory diseases," the authors write.

Several authors were employed by Galderma, which manufactures ivermectin and funded the study.

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