Biotin Content in Kampo Medicines for Skin Disease

Abstract

We studied the relation between biotin and Kampo medicines (traditional Chinese herbal medicines) for skin disease. The subjects consisted 14 Kampo medicines and their 24 crude powder materials. Kampo medicines were classified into three categories: Group I - 3 medicines which are generally prescribed for atopic dermatitis, eczema and pruritus, Group II - 8 medicines for eczema, urticaria, pruritus, and allergy, Group III - 3control medicines for non-skin disease. Biotin assay was performed by the agar plate method using Lαctobαcillus plαntarum ATCC 8014. The average content of free biotin in Group I, II and III was 118.0±4.6, 97.8±48.6 and 30.3±19.6 ng/g, respectively. Also total biotin content in each group was 313.3±116.0, 222.0±132.5 and 47.7±28.3 ng/g on average, respectively. On the other hand, the free biotin in 11 crude powder materials was higher than 100 ng/g, and these materials were frequently used for making Kampo medicines for skin disease. It is known that these Kampo medicines have been effective against skin disease from ancient time. In this study, it is obvious that Kam po medi- cines contain a large amount of free biotin, which can be easily absorbed by the small intestine.