Peanut lipids influence the response of bronchial epithelial cells to the peanut allergens Ara h 1 and Ara h 2 by decreasing barrier permeability.

Peanut-allergic individuals react upon their first known ingestion of peanuts, suggesting sensitization occurs through non-oral exposure. Increasing evidence suggests that the respiratory tract is a probable site for sensitization to environmental peanuts. However, the response of the bronchial epithelium to peanut allergens has never been explored.

DMTMM-mediated methylamidation for MALDI mass spectrometry analysis of N-glycans with structurally conserved sialic acid residues in biological fluids "via direttissima".

Characterization of serum glycoprotein N-glycans with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) in positive-ion mode needs a derivatization step to stabilize and neutralize the negative charge on sialic acids. The acidic sugars are attached to the end of glycoproteins, glycolipids or gangliosides. Here, we present a method for sialic acid stabilization via modification based on derivatization of carboxylic acid group activated with 4-(4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-4-methylmorpholinium chloride (DMTMM) with methylamine.

Mouse Chow Composition Influences Immune Responses and Food Allergy Development in a Mouse Model.

Our diet is known to substantially influence the immune response not only by support of mucosal barriers but also via direct impact on immune cells. Thus, it was of great interest to compare the immunological effect of two mouse chows with substantial differences regarding micro-, macronutrient, lipid and vitamin content on the food allergic response in our previously established mouse model. As the two mouse chows of interest, we used a soy containing feed with lower fatty acid (FA) amount (soy-containing feed) and compared it to a soy free mouse chow (soy-free feed) in an established protocol of oral immunizations with Ovalbumin (OVA) under gastric acid suppression.

Exact determination of the degree of substitution of high molar mass hyaluronan by controlling the conformation in solution.

The purpose of the present study was the development of an accurate method to determine the degree of substitution (DS) of modified hyaluronic acid (HA) by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H NMR) spectroscopy. The influence of the effect of ionic strength and pH on H NMR spectra of HA was studied. The results showed a correlation between the conformation of HA in solution and the quality of the H NMR spectra.

Characterization of Vibrio cholerae neuraminidase as an immunomodulator for novel formulation of oral allergy immunotherapy.

To improve current mucosal allergen immunotherapy Vibrio cholerae neuraminidase (NA) was evaluated as a novel epithelial targeting molecule for functionalization of allergen-loaded, poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microparticles (MPs) and compared to the previously described epithelial targeting lectins wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) and Aleuria aurantia lectin (AAL). All targeters revealed binding to Caco-2 cells, but only NA had high binding specificity to α-L fucose and monosialoganglioside-1. An increased transepithelial uptake was found for NA-MPs in a M-cell co-culture model.

Stability of allergens.

For proteins to cause IgE-mediated allergic reactions, several common characteristics have to be defined, including small molecular size, solubility and stability to changing pH levels and enzymatic degradation. Nevertheless, these features are not unique for potent allergens, but are also observed in non-allergenic proteins. Due to the increasing awareness by regulatory authorities regarding the allergy pandemic, definition of characteristics unique to potent allergens would facilitate allergenicity assessment in the future.