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ToxSci Advance Access published online on April 27, 2005
Toxicological Sciences, doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfi187
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Toxicological Sciences © The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oupjournals.org
Received January 27, 2005
Accepted April 26, 2005

Immunotoxiocology

The effect of the food matrix on in vivo immune responses to purified peanut allergens

F van Wijk 1*, S Nierkens 2, I Hassing 2, M Feijen 2, S J Koppelman 3, G A H de Jong 3, R Pieters 2, and L M J Knippels 4

1 Immunotoxicology, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Experimental Immunology, TNO Quality of Life, Zeist, The Netherlands
2 Immunotoxicology, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
3 Department of Protein Technology, TNO Quality of Life, Zeist, The Netherlands
4 Experimental Immunology, TNO Quality of Life, Zeist, The Netherlands

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
F van Wijk, E-mail: F.vanWijk{at}iras.uu.nl


  Abstract

There is little knowledge on the factors that determine the allergenicity of food proteins. One of the aspects that remains to be elucidated is the effect of the food matrix on immune responses to food proteins.

To study the intrinsic immunogenicity of allergens and the influence of the food matrix, purified peanut allergens (Ara h 1, Ara h 2, Ara h 3 or Ara h 6) and a whole peanut extract (PE) were tested in the popliteal lymph node assay (PLNA) and in an oral model of peanut hypersensitivity. In the PLNA, peanut proteins were injected into the hind footpad of BALB/c mice and in the oral exposure experiments C3H/HeOuJ mice were gavaged weekly with PE or allergens in the presence of cholera toxin (CT).

Upon footpad injection, none of the allergens induced significant immune activation. In contrast, PE induced an increase in cell number, cytokine production, and activation of antigen presenting cells. Furthermore, the presence of a food matrix enhanced the immune response to the individual allergens. Oral exposure to the purified allergens in the presence of CT induced specific IgE responses irrespective of the presence of a food matrix.

These results suggest that purified peanut allergens possess little intrinsic immune stimulating capacity in contrast to a whole PE. Moreover, the data indicate that the food matrix can influence responses to individual proteins and, therefore, has to be taken into account when developing models for allergenic potential assessment.

Keywords: Peanut allergens; food matrix; mouse model; immunogenicity.
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