Atopic dermatitis: experimentalmodels for study of pathogenesis and development of new methods of treatment

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is characterized by allergic skin inflammation. A hallmark of AD is dry itchy skin due, atleast in part, to defects in skin genes that are important for maintaining barrier function. The pathogenesis of ADremains incompletely understood. A number of mouse models of AD have been developed. This review discussesthese models and emphasizes the role of mechanical skin injury and skin barrier dysfunction in eliciting allergicskin inflammation. Also, we describe various approaches to the treatment of atopic dermatitis, the latest of whichis the introduction of siRN A. Development of drugs based on siRN A using functional peptides is a promisingarea of research in allergology.