Preliminary assessment of potential toxicity of methylated soybean protein and methylated ß-lactoglobulin in male Wistar rats.

Methylated soybean protein (MSP) and methylated ß-lactoglobulin (MLG), previously confirmed for their antibacterial and antiviral activities, were tested for their potential toxicity in Wistar male Albino rats as one single dose (2500, 5000 and 10,000 mg/kg body wt) or as repeated daily dose (500 and 2500 mg/kg body wt/day) over 28 days to assess potential toxicity. Single acute administration of very high doses (2500, 5000 and 10,000 mg/kg body wt) of MSP and MLG did not produce any mortality. Changes in body weight, organ weight, hematological parameters, histo-pathological images of selected organs, serum albumin, globulin and albumin/globulin ratio, cholesterol, triglycerides and electrolytes were all within normal amounts in the rats fed with these two methylated proteins and not significantly different from controls. The levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatinine and urea were slightly reduced by the administration of these two modified proteins indicating the absence of any adverse effect on hepatic or renal functions.

Assessment of the respiratory sensitization potential of proteins using an enhanced mouse intranasal test (MINT).

There remains a need for a simple and predictive animal model to identify potential respiratory sensitizers. The mouse intranasal test (MINT) was developed to assess the relative allergic potential of detergent enzymes, however, the experimental endpoints were limited to evaluation of antibody levels. The present study was designed to evaluate additional endpoints (serum and allergic antibody levels, pulmonary inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR)) to determine their value in improving the predictive accuracy of the MINT. BDF1 mice were intranasally instilled on days 1, 3, 10, 17 and 24 with subtilisin, ovalbumin, betalactoglobulin, mouse serum albumin or keyhole limpet hemocyanin; challenged with aerosolized methacholine or the sensitizing protein on day 29 to assess AHR, and sacrificed on day 29 or 30. Under the conditions of this study, evaluation of AHR did not improve the predictive power of this experimental model. Allergic antibody responses and IgG isotype characterization proved to be the most sensitive and reliable indicators of the protein allergenic potential with BAL responses providing additional insight. These data highlight that the evaluation of the respiratory sensitization potential of proteins can be best informed when multiple parameters are evaluated and that further improvements and refinements of the assay are necessary.

Undeclared allergenic ingredients in foods from animal origin: survey of an Italian region's food market, 2007-2009.

Several EC Directives have been promulgated to protect allergic individuals but no rule has been established with regard to allergen cross-contamination caused by shared transport vehicles or common processing equipment. The aim of this research was to quantify, by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or real-time polymerase chain reaction, the presence in meat- or fish-based foods of four allergens (milk, egg, crustaceans and molluscs) that was not indicated either in the list of ingredients or in the label alert. In the time frame of 2007-2009, a total of 723 samples were subjected to 1983 analyses. The percentage of samples scoring positive ranged between 1.8% and 6.8% over the 3 years, and the concentrations of undeclared allergens found were 0.3-13.3 mg kg⁻¹ for milk (ß-lactoglobulin) and 0.21-12 mg kg⁻¹ for egg white proteins. On this basis, the possibility of cross-contamination serious enough to raise public health concern cannot be dismissed.