[Study on rodent model to detect food allergenicity--C3H/HeJ mice model].
OBJECTIVE
To study the feasibility of C3H/HeJ mice as the food allergenicity rodent model and explore the appropriate period of two different routes of exposure and the change of helper T lymphocyte cell.


METHODS
Allergenic protein ovalbumin (OVA) was administered intraperitoneally or orally to female C3H/HeJ mice for 35 days. Blood samples were taken on the 14th, 28th and 35th days from the orbital plexus and sera were obtained to determine OVA specific IgE (OVA sIgE). Spleen samples were obtained on the 35th day to detect the mRNA expression of Th2-type cytokines IL-4 and Th1-type cytokines IFN-gamma by real-time RT-PCR.


RESULTS
Compared with the control group, the concentration of OVA sIgE on 28th and 35th days were significantly increased in OVA group by gavage (P < 0.05). The concentration of OVA sIgE on 14th, 28th and 35th days were significantly higher than the control group when OVA was given intraperitoneally (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the mRNA expression of IL-4 of OVA group and OVA + Al(OH)3 group were significantly increased. The mRNA expression of IFN-gamma of OVA group and OVA + Al(OH) group were significantly lower than the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
C3H/HeJ mice might be used as a rodent model for the assessment of allergenicity of food. The appropriate period is the 14th day for the route of intraperitoneal injection and the 28th day for oral gavage, respectively.
Sun
Nana
N
Institute for Nutrition and Food Safety, China CDC, Beijing 100050, China. bananasunstar@163.com
Zhang
Xin
X
Cui
Wenming
W
Wang
Wei
W
Zhang
Wenzhong
W
Peng
Yufa
Y
Li
Ning
N
Jia
Xudong
X
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000276:immunology; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology*; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*
D015847:Interleukin-4; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D010047:Ovalbumin