title: Oral administration of allergen extracts from mugwort pollen desensitizes specific allergen-induced allergy in mice.
abstract: Clinically, sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) using allergen extracts effectively alleviates the symptoms of allergic rhinitis and asthma. We hypothesized that oral administration of a high-dose of allergen extracts imitates SLIT, which may prevent IgE-related responses in allergic diseases. In the present study, we investigated the effects of oral administration of allergen extracts from mugwort pollen (MP) on allergen-induced inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in an allergic mouse model. After administration of MPdrop containing Art v 1 and Art v 4 extracts derived from MP specifically in MP-sensitized mice, the effects of MPdrop on AHR, inflammatory cell accumulation, cytokine production in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung tissue, and serum IgE and IgG levels were investigated. The results indicated that MPdrop not only prevented the AHR in response to methacholine in a dose-dependent manner but also significantly reduced the total serum and allergen-specific IgE levels. All of the maximal effects were achieved at a dose of 100μg/(kgd) and were comparable to the effects of dexamethasone at a dose of 0.5mg/(kgd). Furthermore, oral administration of MPdrop dose-dependently elevated allergen-specific serum IgG2a levels, reduced total and allergen-specific IgE levels and normalized the imbalance between the Th1 cytokine IL-12 and Th2 cytokines IL-4 and IL-5. Finally, oral administration of MPdrop significantly reduced goblet cell hyperplasia and eosinophilia in the MP-sensitized allergic mouse model. These data suggest that MPdrop effectively improves specific allergen-induced inflammation and AHR in MP-sensitized and -challenged mice and provides the rationale for clinical use of MPdrop in the specific allergen-induced asthma.
authors.affiliation: Affiliated First Hospital of Medical College, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.
authors.forename: Wen-Jiang
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Meng-Jing
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.forename: Jian-Ping
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Hong-Yi
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Yi-Cheng
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: Fen-Fen
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xin-Wei
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Ying-Ming
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Qiang-Min
authors.initials: QM
authors.lastname: Xie
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000485:Allergens / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000818:Animals; D019306:Artemisia / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic / Q000379:methods*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D011058:Pollen / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007073:Immunoglobulin E