OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes of the levels of galectin-3 (Gal-3) in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of children with asthma whose have different serum levels of 25-hydroxyl-vitamin D₃[25(OH)D₃].

METHODSFifty children with asthma between January 2013 and December 2014 were enrolled as the asthma group, and they were classified into 25(OH)D₃sufficient (n=7), insufficient (n=12) and deficient subgroups (n=31) according to the serum levels of 25(OH)D₃. Twenty children with abnormal airway or tracheal foreign bodies served as the control group. The levels of 25(OH)D₃, Gal-3 and total IgE in serum and Gal-3 levels in BALF were measured using ELISA.

RESULTThe serum levels of 25(OH)D₃in the asthma group were lower than in the control group (P<0.05). The 25(OH)D₃deficient subgroup displayed the highest percentages of neutrophils, eosinophils and epithelial cells in BALF, followed by the 25(OH)D₃insufficient subgroup and the 25(OH)D₃sufficient subgroup (P<0.05). The percentages of neutrophils, eosinophils and epithelial cells in BALF in the three subgroups were all higher than in the control group (P<0.05). In children with asthma, serum levels of 25(OH)D₃were negatively correlated with the percentages of neutrophils, eosinophils and epithelial cells in BALF (r=-0.683, -0.795 and -0.670 respectively; P<0.05); and a negative correlation was also seen between serum 25(OH)D₃levels and serum Gal-3 and total IgE levels (r=-0.759 and -0.875 respectively; P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe children with asthma have low serum levels of 25(OH)D₃. 25(OH)D₃and Gal-3 may be involved in the airway inflammation and the development of asthma.

Asthma ; etiology ; metabolism ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; chemistry ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Galectin 3 ; analysis ; blood ; physiology ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; blood ; Infant ; Male ; Vitamin D ; analogs & derivatives ; blood ; physiology

A number of case reports on occupational asthma caused by herbal medicines have been issued, for example, on Sanyak, Chunkung, Banha, and Brazilian ginseng. Recently, cases of occupational asthma induced by Sanyak and Korean ginseng have been reported, but the pathogenic mechanisms involved are unknown. This study was carried out to evaluate the immunologic mechanism underlying Korean ginseng-induced occupational asthma. A patient engaged in Korean ginseng wholesale was referred for recurrent dyspnea, wheezing, and nasal symptoms, which were aggravated at work. Allergen bronchial provocation testing to Korean ginseng extract showed a typical immediate response, and skin prick testing to Korean ginseng extract also showed a strong positive response. Moreover, serum-specific IgE levels to Korean ginseng extract were significantly higher than in controls. Enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) inhibition tests showed a dose-dependent inhibition by Korean ginseng, but not by Dermatophagoides farinae, wheat flour, or Chinese balloon flower. Sodium dodecylsulfate-poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunoblotting revealed four specific Immunoglobulin E (IgE) binding components at 26, 30, 47, and 60 kDa, which were not bound by control sera. These results strongly suggest that occupation asthma induced by Korean ginseng is induced via an IgE-mediated mechanism.
Animals ; Asthma/diagnosis/*etiology/*immunology ; Bronchi/metabolism ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods ; Flour ; Flowers ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity/*diagnosis ; Immunoglobulin E/analysis/*chemistry ; Korea ; Occupational Diseases/diagnosis/*etiology/*immunology ; Panax/*adverse effects ; Pyroglyphidae/metabolism ; *Skin Tests

PURPOSE: Japanese hop (Humulus spp.) and mugwort (Artemisia spp.) are notable causes of autumn pollinosis in East Asia. However, Japanese hop and mugwort pollen extracts, which are widely used for the diagnosis, have not been standardized. This study was performed to standardize Japanese hop and mugwort pollen extracts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Allergen extracts were prepared in a standardized way using locally collected Humulus japonicus and purchased Artemisia vulgaris pollens. The immunoglobulin E (IgE) reactivities of prepared extracts were compared with commercial extracts via IgE immunoblotting and inhibition analyses. Intradermal skin tests were performed to determine the bioequivalent allergy unit (BAU). RESULTS: The IgE reactive components of the extracts via IgE immunoblotting were similar to those of commercial extracts. A 11-kDa allergen showed the strongest IgE reactivity in Japanese hop, as did a 28-kDa allergen in mugwort pollen extracts. Allergenic potencies of the investigatory Japanese hop and mugwort extracts were essentially indistinguishable from the commercial ones. Sums of erythema of 50 mm by the intradermal skin test (SigmaED50) were calculated to be 14.4th and 13.6th three-fold dilutions for Japanese hop and mugwort extracts, respectively. Therefore, the allergenic activity of the prepared extracts was 90827.4 BAU/mg for Japanese hop and 34412 BAU/mg for mugwort. CONCLUSION: We produced Japanese hop and mugwort pollen extracts using a standardized method. Standardized Japanese hop and mugwort pollen extracts will facilitate the production of improved diagnostic and immunotherapeutic reagents.
Allergens/*analysis/*immunology ; Antibody Specificity ; *Artemisia ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity/blood/immunology ; Cross Reactions ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Immunoblotting ; Immunoglobulin E/blood/*immunology ; Pollen/*chemistry/*immunology ; Reference Standards ; Republic of Korea ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal

Chestnut as a Food Allergen: Identification of Major Allergens To evaluate the clinical significance of chestnut as a food allergen in Korea, skin prick test and ELISA were done in 1,738 patients with respiratory allergies. To identify the IgE binding components, IgE-immunoblotting, 2D IgE-immunoblotting and MALDITOF were performed. To observe the effects of digestive enzymes and a boiling treatment, simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and simulated intestinal fluids (SIF) were incubated with chestnut extracts, and IgE-immunoblotting were then repeated. Skin prick test revealed that 56 (3.2%) patients showed more than 2+ of allergen to histamine ratio to chestnut. Among the 21 IgE binding components, 9 bands were found in more than 50% of the sera tested and the 24 kDa protein had the highest binding intensity. The amino acid sequence of the 24 kDa protein (pI 6.3) had homology with legume protein of oak tree. SGF, SIF and boiling treatment were able to suppress the IgE binding components. In conclusion, chestnut ingestion was shown to induce IgE mediated responses with a 3.2% sensitization rate. Twenty one IgE binding components and one new allergen (the 24 kDa protein) were identified. Digestive enzymes and boiling treatment were able to decrease the allergenic potency.
Allergens/analysis/immunology ; Amino Acid Sequence ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods ; Fagaceae/chemistry/*immunology ; Food Hypersensitivity/blood/*immunology ; Humans ; Immunoblotting ; Immunoglobulin E/blood/immunology ; Plant Extracts/chemistry/immunology ; Protein Binding/immunology ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Sequence Analysis, Protein ; Skin Tests/methods

BACKGROUND: BCG, a potent inducer of Th1 immune response, has been suggested to suppress Th2 response which is known to mediate IgE-mediated allergic disorders, in particular allergic asthma. Schultz-Dale reaction is known to be a model of IgE-mediated hypersensitivity. This study was done to investigate whether BCG infection suppresses the Schultz-Dale reaction by inhibiting Th2 response and allergen-specific IgE production. METHODS: Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were sensitized and provoked with ovalbumin (OVA). A pretreatment of 6 x 10(4) colony forming units of BCG or saline was done 7 days before sensitization. The Schultz-Dale reaction was represented as tracheal smooth muscle contractions to 50 micrograms/mL OVA challenge in vitro. Serum OVA-specific IgE levels and IFN-gamma and IL-4 concentrations in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were measured. RESULTS: The Schultz-Dale reaction and serum OVA-specific IgE levels were significantly decreased in BCG infected and OVA sensitized rats compared with only sensitized rats (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). As compared with only sensitized rats, IL-4 concentration and a ratio of IFN-gamma:IL-4 in BCG infected and OVA sensitized rats were significantly decreased (p < 0.001) and increased (p < 0.05), respectively. The Schultz-Dale reaction was correlated with OVA-specific IgE levels (r = 0.50, p < 0.05), IL-4 concentration (r = 0.69, p < 0.001), and ratio of IFN-:IL-4 (r = -0.44, p < 0.05). OVA-specific IgE levels were correlated with IL-4 concentration (r = 0.61, p < 0.01) and ratio of IFN-gamma:IL-4 (r = -0.48, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that BCG infection prior to allergen sensitization may inhibit Schultz-Dale reaction developed in the sensitized rat tracheal smooth muscle via the suppressive effects of Th2 immune response and allergen-specific IgE production.
Animal ; Bronchial Provocation Tests ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid/*chemistry ; Comparative Study ; Cytokines/analysis ; Disease Models, Animal ; Hypersensitivity, Immediate/*immunology ; Immunization ; Immunoglobulin E/*analysis ; Male ; Mycobacterium bovis/*immunology ; Probability ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reference Values ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; T-Lymphocytes/*immunology ; Tuberculosis/*immunology/veterinary

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the immunoregulatory effects of the Lonicera water extract in the ovalbulmin (OVA)-sensitized BALB/c mice and to explore feasibility of treating food allergy with the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

METHODSForty female BALB/c mice aged 6 weeks fed with ovalbulmin-free feed, were randomly divided into 5 groups with 8 mice in each. Four groups were sensitized with OVA intraperitoneally two times and challenged intragastrically four times. Groups H, M and L were treated respectively with high (100 mg/100 ml), medium (50 mg/100ml) and low (25 mg/100 ml) concentration of the Lonicera water extract at a dose of 0.3 ml/10 g body weight just 4 hours after the first challenge and then twice daily for 10 consecutive days. The mice in group Ch were used as positive control and were sensitized intraperitoneally and treated with normal saline solution intragastrically daily. The mice in NS group were used as negative control without sensitization and challenge. Just 1 hour after the last challenge, the mice in each group were sacrificed and specimens of jejunum were taken. Histological examinations on the jejunum specimens were performed after either HE or toluidine blue staining, the levels of histamine in gut of the mice were assayed with a fluorescent method; the IFN-gamma and IL-4 production in peripheral lymph node mononuclear cell (PLNMC) and the OVA-specific IgE levels in serum were measured by using ELISA; the mRNA expression of IL-12p40 in PLNMC of the mice was evaluated by RT-PCR; the footpad swelling reactions were assessed for the OVA-induced delayed hypersensitivity.

RESULTS(1) The inflammatory reactions were significantly inhibited in the mice of group H and M; the accumulated and degranulated mast cells in lamina propria were significantly reduced in the mice by gavage with 100% or 50% of the Lonicera extract, concomitant with the increased percentage of the intact mast cells. (2) The release of histamine in gut in the mice of group H and M was significantly reduced. (3) Either the IL-4 production and the ratio of IL-4/IFN-gamma in PLNMC or the IFN-gamma generation was significantly reduced in group H and M. (4) IL-12p40 mRNA expression in PLNMC was significantly reduced in group H and M. (5) The levels of OVA-specific IgE in serum were reduced in the mice of group H and M. (6) The footpad swelling reactions induced in the allergic mice were significantly inhibited after giving the Lonicera extract of the three different concentrations.

CONCLUSIONThe Lonicera extract showed significant immunoregulatory effects in OVA-induced allergic mice model in this study. Lonicera extract may be of potential research value in treatment of both IgE and none IgE mediated food allergy.

Animals ; Female ; Food Hypersensitivity ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Histamine ; analysis ; Immunoglobulin E ; blood ; Interferon-gamma ; metabolism ; Interleukin-12 Subunit p40 ; analysis ; Interleukin-4 ; metabolism ; Jejunum ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lonicera ; chemistry ; Mast Cells ; immunology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Ovalbumin ; administration & dosage ; Plant Extracts ; immunology ; pharmacology