title: Decrease in the allergenicity of Japanese cedar pollen allergen by treatment with positive and negative cluster ions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Japanese cedar pollinosis is a severe allergic disease in Japan. The most effective means of decreasing allergic inflammation reactions is still avoidance of the aeroallergen. Recently, a novel air purification system using positively and negatively charged cluster ions was developed to create comfortable living environments. We aimed to assess the ability of existing technology to lower allergenicity of Japanese cedar pollen.
  
  
  METHODS
  A Japanese cedar pollen extract was nebulized from the top of a cylindrical container with 2 or 4 ion-generating devices. The extract in a mist was passed through the space filled with or without plasma cluster ions for 90 s, and the ion-treated or nontreated extract was then collected in a Petri dish at the bottom of the container.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ion-exposed extract was significantly diminished in its reactivities to anti-Cry j 1 or anti-Cry j 2 antiserum and to human allergic sera IgE on ELISA. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that ion exposure induced protein degradation in the pollen extract. Similarly, the ion treatment impaired about 80% of the binding to pooled sera IgE from patients allergic to Japanese cedar pollen on ELISA inhibition. Furthermore, intracutaneous and conjunctival reaction tests showed a remarkable diminution in the allergenicity of the ion-irradiated extract.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ion irradiation resulted in a remarkable decrease in in vitro and in vivo allergenicities of atomized Japanese cedar pollen extracts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Graduate School of Advanced Sciences of Matter, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawamoto
authors.forename: Masatosi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oshita
authors.forename: Norihiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fukuoka
authors.forename: Seiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shigeta
authors.forename: Tsunehiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aki
authors.forename: Takaharu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishikawa
authors.forename: Kazuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ono
mesh_terms: D000390:Air Ionization; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000517:prevention & control; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology*; D028203:Cedrus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000276:immunology; D011058:Pollen / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D010936:Plant Extracts