Acute
radiodermatitis is a type of skin injury caused by
tumor radiotherapy. Compound Dahuang Baiji spray (CDBS) is a
traditional Chinese medicine spray made from Dahuang and Baiji decoction. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of CDBS on radiation
dermatitis. We analyzed the main components of CDBS using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Through network pharmacology prediction, the target of Dahuang and Baiji was identified as
arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase (ALOX5), associated with
inflammation. Therefore, we constructed
radiodermatitis rat models and treated them with CDBS for 14 d. Skin samples were collected from the rats' injured skin tissues, and pathological changes, oxidative stress indicators, inflammatory
cytokines, and ALOX5 expression were detected using techniques such as HE staining, blood parameters analysis, ELISA, Real-time qPCR, and Western blot. The characteristic appearances of
radiodermatitis were observed in different rat groups which indicated that the skin injury score in the model group was at grade II and was at grade I in the CDBS group. In addition, the HE results showed that CDBS reduced the
necrosis of
collagen fibers and inflammatory cell infiltration in the dermis of the
radiodermatitis rats. Moreover, compared to the model group, CDBS significantly decreased leukocytes, lymphocytes, and neutrophils in the blood, as well as levels of
IL-2,
LTB4, 5-LO, NO, and ALOX5 expression in rat blood. Our findings suggest the
therapeutic effect of CDBS on
radiodermatitis by downregulating ALOX5 to inhibit
inflammation, potentially serving as a
radiodermatitis therapy.