Inhibitory Effects of a Novel Nrf2 Activator Rs9 on 2,4,6-Trichlorobenzene-Induced Contact Dermatitis in Mice

Allergic contact dermatitis is an itchy skin condition caused by cell-mediated immune responses due to contact with haptens. The Nrf2 is a transcriptional factor which regulates many antioxidants and it is recently succeeded in obtaining a novel Nrf2 activator, RS9. The efficacy of RS9 in a contact dermatitis model of BALB/c mice was investigated. Topical application of 2,4,6-trichlorobenzene significantly induced ear swelling and the application of RS9 to the ear ameliorated the allergic responses compared to other triterpenoids such as RTA 402 (bardoxolone methyl). These results indicate that RS9 is a promising compound for dermatitis by activating the Nrf2 pathway.