title: Innate responses to pollen allergens.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present review was to discuss the effects of pollen components on innate immune responses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pollens contain numerous factors that can stimulate an innate immune response. These include intrinsic factors in pollens such as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidases, proteases, aqueous pollen proteins, lipids, and antigens. Each component stimulates innate immune response in a different manner. Pollen nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidases induce reactive oxygen species generation and recruit neutrophils that stimulate subsequent allergic inflammation. Pollen proteases damage epithelial barrier function and increase antigen uptake. Aqueous pollen extract proteins and pollen lipids modulate dendritic cell function and induce Th2 polarization. Clinical studies have shown that modulation of innate immune response to pollens with toll-like receptor 9- and toll-like receptor 4-stimulating conjugates is well tolerated and induces clear immunological effects, but is not very effective in suppressing primary clinical endpoints of allergic inflammation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Additional research on innate immune pathways induced by pollen components is required to develop novel strategies that will mitigate the development of allergic inflammation.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Internal Medicine, Division of Allergy and Immunology bDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Koa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hosoki
authors.forename: Istvan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Boldogh
authors.forename: Sanjiv
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sur
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D052179:Antigens, Plant / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D009247:NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology*; D011058:Pollen / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000276:immunology*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D052179:Antigens, Plant; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D009247:NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases