Abstract: Objective: To investigate the effects of artemisia naphta oil (AN) on skin injury and inflammation in a seborrheic dermatitis model. Methods: A total of 40 guinea pigs were divided into normal group, model group, Base group and AN intervention group (0.5% AN, 1.0% AN, 1.5% AN, 3.0% AN, 5.0% AN), with 5 guinea pigs in each group. All the guinea pigs except the normal group were shaved on their backs after anesthesia. Evenly apply hair removal cream to the shaved area, then rub with sandpaper, and Malassezia mixed with vegetable oil were directly smeared, and use different concentrations of AN for continuous intervention for 7 days. The situation of erythema, papules, scales and the number of fungal colonies on the back of guinea pigs were observed. The pathological changes of skin were observed by HE staining. Serum levels of inflammatory factors were detected by ELISA. Results: Compared with the normal group, there were diffuse erythema and thick scale on the back of the model group, the number of fungal colonies was significantly up-regulated, and the level of IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-8, IL-10 were significantly increased in the model group compared with the model group and the Base group, the erythema, papules and scales of guinea pigs treated with different concentrations of AN significantly improved, and the number of fungal colonies significantly decreased, the levels of IFN-γ, IL -1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-8 and IL -10 in serum were significantly lower than those in control group. A significant difference was observed when the AN concentration reached 1.5%. Conclusion: AN can alleviate skin injury in guinea pig seborrheic dermatitis model by reducing the number of fungal colonies and the level of inflammatory factors.

Key words: artemisia naphta oil, seborrheic dermatitis, Malassezia, inflammation