Dietary Elimination of Soybean Components Enhances Allergic Immune Response to Peanuts in BALB/c Mice

Abstract

Background: Food allergy research is hampered by a lack of animal models that consistently mimic human food allergic responses. Laboratory mice are generally fed grain-based chow made with large amounts of soybeans rich in immunomodulatory isoflavones. We tested the role of dietary soy components in the induction of food allergic responses in the BALB/c mouse strain, which is known to be resistant to anaphylaxis when orally challenged by food allergens. Methods: Mice were fed a soy-free diet for 2 generations. After weaning, mice were maintained on the same diet or fed a diet containing soy isoflavones, i.e. genistein and daidzein, followed by weekly oral sensitizations with crude peanut extract plus cholera toxin and finally challenged at week 7. The anaphylactic symptoms, body temperature, peanut-specific antibodies and mast cell degranulation were assessed. Results: Soy-free diet mice showed significantly higher anaphylactic symptom scores and mast cell degranulation after challenge and higher peanut-specific antibody levels than mice fed regular chow. Introduction of a regular soy diet or an isoflavone diet to soy-free diet mice significantly suppressed the allergic reactions compared to the soy-free diet. Conclusion: Rodent diet is an important variable and needs to be taken into consideration when designing experiments involving animal models. Our results indicate that elimination of soy components from the diet enhances peanut sensitization in BALB/c mice. In addition to serving as a valuable tool to mimic human food allergy, the dietary influence on the immune response could have far-reaching consequences in research involving animal models.

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

“…Another main difference in mouse feed composition was the presence of soy proteins in the chow supporting allergy development. This is in contrast to findings from Chang and colleagues reporting that elimination of soy from the rodents feed resulted in sensitization to peanut [ 46 ]. Phytoestrogens or more specific isoflavones like daidzein and genistein in soy are well known to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidative and chemo-preventive properties [ 47 ].…”

The Sound of a Buk (Korean Traditional Drum) Attenuates Anaphylactic Reactions by the Activation of Estrogen Receptor-β

“…Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death associated with systemic vasodilation [1,3] resulting in hypotension and hypoxic brain damage [14]. The rhythmic patterns of Buk music use duple-division (2) and mixed-division (2 + 3 or 3 + 2) beats, and just as poems sound musical and resonant, the sound of a Buk has its own musical flowing rhythms and sequences.…”

“…Anaphylaxis causes hypotension by inducing the release of histamine from mast cells [3,4,5], and severe anaphylaxis is defined when accompanied by hypoxia, hypotension, or neurologic compromise, typically manifested by collapse [6]. …”

Enhanced Prophylactic and Therapeutic Effects of Polylysine-Modified Ara h 2 DNA Vaccine in a Mouse Model of Peanut Allergy

“…The levels of Ara h 2-specific IgG1, IgG2a, and total IgE were analyzed with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as previously described [23] with modifications. To measure Ara h 2-specific IgG1 and IgG2a, ELISA plates (Nunc, Nalgene Nunc International, Roskilde, Denmark) were coated overnight with purified Ara h 2 proteins (2 µg/mL; Indoor Biotechnologies) at 4°C overnight.…”