A short-term high-sugar diet is an aggravating factor in experimental allergic contact dermatitis

Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is an inflammatory skin reaction whose incidence has increased and has been associated with a dietary pattern rich in saturated fats and refined sugars. Considering the increased incidence of ACD and the lack of research about the influence of a short-term high-sugar diet on dermatitis, our aim is to improve understanding of the influence of a high-sugar diet on ACD. We introduced a diet rich in sugar fifteen days before inducing contact dermatitis with oxazolone, in mice, and maintained it until the end of the experiment, which lasted three weeks in total. The dermatitis model increased cholesterol and triglycerides in the liver, and the combination of diet and dermatitis increased weight and worsened liver cholesterol measurements. Furthermore, the high-sugar diet increased the production of IL-6, IFN-gamma and TNF alpha in the skin, which may be involved in the increase in epithelial skin thickness observed in experimental ACD.

Automated summary

This study investigates the influence of a high-sugar diet on allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) in mice. The results suggest that a high-sugar diet may increase liver cholesterol and triglyceride levels, worsen dermatitis symptoms, and cause an increase in skin epithelial thickness.