Oral immunotherapy using soy proteins modulates the allergic response in a mouse model of cow’s milk allergy

SMALDINI, PAOLA L; ORSINI, LUCIA; CURCIARELLO, RENATA; CANDREVA, ANGELA M; FOSSATI, CARLOS A; DOCENA, GUILLERMO H

Lima

Congreso; 10th Latin American Congress of Immunology ALAI 2012; 2012

Sociedad peruana de Inmunología

Food allergy is caused by a breakdown in immunologic tolerance mechanisms. There is no approved therapy for food allergies. In this work we aimed to induce oral tolerance to cow`s milk proteins (CMP) using CMP and cross-reactive soy proteins (SP) in a food allergy mouse model. Balb/c mice were gavaged for a week with CMP (CMP Tol) or with SP (PS Tol) prior to sensitization by oral administration of CMP with choleric toxin. Finally, mice were orally challenged with CMP. Immune response was evaluated with in vitro (serum specific IgE, IgG1, IgG2a and IgA level; cytokine secretion and mRNA expression, and induction of Foxp3 T cells in the intestinal mucosa and splenocytes) and in vivo assays (clinical score and cutaneous tests). We found a lower medium clinical score in tolerized mice with CMP or PS after the oral challenge than in sensitized mice, with a negative cutaneous test in tolerized mice. Specific IgE [OD 1,57±0,2 vs 1,06±0.3 (SP Tol) or 0,52±0,1 (CMP Tol); p<0.05] and IgG1 [OD 2,16±0,3 vs 1,2±0.4 (SP Tol) or 0,11±0,02 (CMP Tol); p<0.01] were suppressed in tolerized mice. IL-5 and IL-13 secretion was reduced in tolerized mice at the protein and mRNA levels. We found inducible Tregs in mucosa. In conclusion, oral immunotherapy based on cross-reactivity between CMP and SP can be used to down-modulate the allergic specific immune response in CMP-sensitized mice.