ABSTRACT: The increasing incidence of atopic dermatitis during recent decades has prompted the development of safe and
effective agents for prevention of atopic diseases. Esculeoside A, a glycoside of spirosolane type, is identified as a major
component in ripe tomato fruits. The present study investigated the effects of esculeoside A and its aglycon esculeogenin A on
hyaluronidase activity in vitro and antiallergy in experimental dermatitis mice. Esculeogenin A/esculeoside A (esculeogenin A
equivalent) with an IC50 of about 2 μM/9 μM dose-dependently inhibited hyaluronidase activity measured by a modified
Morgan−Elson method. Oral treatment with esculeoside A 10 mg/kg of experimental dermatitis mice for 4 weeks significantly
decreased the skin clinical score to 2.5 without any detectable side effects compared with 6.75 of the control. The scratching
frequency of esculeoside A 100 mg/kg application was decreased significantly as 107.5 times compared with 296.67 times of the
control. Thus, the present study showed that esculeoside A/esculeogenin A significantly blocks hyaluronidase activity in vitro and
that esculeoside A ameliorates mouse experimental dermatitis.