Peach extract induces systemic and local immune responses in an experimental food allergy model.

Peach allergy is among the most frequent food allergies in the Mediterranean area, often eliciting severe anaphylactic reactions in patients. Due to the risk of severe symptoms, studies in humans are limited, leading to a lack of therapeutic options. This study aimed to develop a peach allergy mouse model as a tool to better understand the pathomechanism and to allow preclinical investigations on the development of optimized strategies for immunotherapy. CBA/J mice were sensitized intraperitoneally with peach extract or PBS, using alum as adjuvant. Afterwards, extract was administered intragastrically to involve the intestinal tract. Allergen provocation was performed via intraperitoneal injection of extract, measuring drop of body temperature as main read out of anaphylaxis. The model induced allergy-related symptoms in mice, including decrease of body temperature. Antibody levels in serum and intestinal homogenates revealed a Th2 response with increased levels of mMCPT-1, peach- and Pru p 3-specific IgE, IgG1 and IgG2a as well as increased levels of IL-4 and IL-13. FACS analysis of small intestine lamina propria revealed increased amounts of T cells, neutrophils and DCs in peach allergic mice. These data suggest the successful establishment of a peach allergy mouse model, inducing systemic as well as local gastrointestinal reactions.

Role of HLA-DQB1 alleles in the risk, signs and symptoms, and severity of celiac disease in a Venezuelan population.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Celiac disease (CD) is a complex condition, whose main genetic determinant involves HLA molecules, specifically the HLA-DQ2 and/or HLA-DQ8 heterodimers. Nevertheless, the frequency of the alleles encoding those molecules has not been reported in Venezuelan celiac patients. Therefore, the aim of our study was to evaluate the frequency of the HLA-DQB1 alleles in individuals with symptoms suggestive of CD and define the diagnostic markers of the condition in a Venezuelan population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study included 516 individuals with symptoms suggestive of CD. Molecular typing of the HLA-DQB1 locus was performed using a polymerase chain reaction-sequence-specific oligonucleotide procedure (PCR-SSO). RESULTS: A total of 58.3% of the individuals with clinical manifestations consistent with CD presented with at least one risk allele (DQB1*0201 and/or DQB1*0302), and the diagnosis was confirmed in 40 of them. The patients with CD had a higher frequency of the DQB1*0201 risk allele (26.25%), followed by the DQB1*0302 (17.5%) allele. There was an association between the presence of risk alleles and the presence of lesions characteristic of CD (P = 0.001), and a correlation was found between the genetic predisposition to develop CD and the presence of anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (P = 0.0127). CONCLUSIONS: The results support the role of the DQB1*02 and DQB1*0302 alleles in CD susceptibility and the histologic alterations of the intestinal mucosa, in a Venezuelan population.