Denatonium Benzoate Exposure Promotes IgE-Mediated Mast Cell Degranulation and Allergy By Upregulating FcεRIα Expression

Abstract

Background: Denatonium benzoate (DB), one of the bitterest compounds known to man, is currently added to a wide range of products and is also used for alcohol denaturation. Some reports demonstrated that asthmatic symptoms are associated with DB exposure but the possible links between DB and IgE-mediated allergy susceptibility have not been examined to date. We investigated the effects of DB on IgE-mediated mast cell degranulation in vitro and in the ovalbumin (OVA)-induced mouse model of allergy.Methods: DB treatments were given to RBL-2H3 IgE-sensitized rat mast cell/basophil cells and KU812 human basophilic cells together with OVA-induced allergic BALB/c mice. Allergic mediator release, Ca2+ influx and OVA-specific IgE anaphylactic shock symptoms were measured along with the cell-surface expression of the α-subunit of high-affinity IgE receptor FcεRI on mast cells.Results: DB increases β-hexosaminidase (β-hex) release and Ca2+ mobilization in IgE-mediated activated RBL-2H3 and KU812 cells, and enhanced the cell-surface expression of FcεRIα. DB also promoted the severity of OVA-induced anaphylactic and diarrheic symptoms which was accompanied by mucus thickness in jejunum and the levels of β-hex, histamine and OVA-specific IgE in allergy mice, as well as the levels of FcεRIα mRNA and the FcεRIα proteinin isolated mucosal mast cells. Conclusions: DB treatments can promote the IgE-mediated mast cell degranulation in vitro and OVA-induced allergic susceptibility in mice by upregulating mast-cell-surface FcεR1α expression, providing evidence for DB exposure in promoting allergy susceptibility.