Selenium Modulates the Allergic Response to Whey Protein in a Mouse Model for Cow’s Milk Allergy

Abstract

Cow’s milk allergy is a common food allergy in infants, and is associated with an increased risk of developing other allergic diseases. Dietary selenium (Se), one of the essential micronutrients for humans and animals, is an important bioelement which can influence both innate and adaptive immune responses. However, the effects of Se on food allergy are still largely unknown. In the current study it was investigated whether dietary Se supplementation can inhibit whey-induced food allergy in an animal research model. Three-week-old female C3H/HeOuJ mice were intragastrically sensitized with whey protein and cholera toxin and randomly assigned to receive a control, low, medium or high Se diet. Acute allergic symptoms, allergen specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E levels and mast cell degranulation were determined upon whey challenge. Body temperature was significantly higher in mice that received the medium Se diet 60 min after the oral challenge with whey compared to the positive control group, which is indicative of impaired anaphylaxis. This was accompanied by reductions in antigen-specific immunoglobulins and reduced levels of mouse mast cell protease-1 (mMCP-1). This study demonstrates that oral Se supplementation may modulate allergic responses to whey by decreasing specific antibody responses and mMCP-1 release.

Selenomethionine attenuates allergic effector responses in human primary mast cells

“…Selenomethionine (SeMet), an organic form of selenium, is the main nutritional source of selenium for animals and humans. We previously demonstrated that dietary SeMet supplementation reduced mast cell activation in a murine food allergy model 2 . In vitro studies in the murine and rat mast cell lines demonstrated that pretreatment with selenium attenuates IgE‐induced mediator release 3,4 and indicated a suppressive effect on signal transduction.…”

“…These treatments have been associated with increased conjunctivitis and blepharitis in AD patients; manifestations that are regarded to be part of the AD syndrome. 2 Conjunctival goblet cell (CGC) scarcity, mucin deficiency, and immune cell infiltrates with increased numbers of Th1 cells secreting interferon-gamma (IFNγ), have been reported in AD patients that developed conjunctivitis upon dupilumab treatment. 3,4 Inhibition of IL-4 signaling by dupilumab may induce Th1 polarization with increased IFNγ production, leading to secretory dysfunction of mucins and triggering CGC apoptosis.…”

“…We previously demonstrated that dietary SeMet supplementation reduced mast cell activation in a murine food allergy model. 2 In vitro studies in the murine and rat mast cell lines demonstrated that pretreatment with selenium attenuates IgE-induced mediator release 3,4 and indicated a suppressive effect on signal transduction. In this study, we investigated the effects of SeMet on human mast cell (HMC) responses.…”

Early‐life risk factors for food allergy: Dietary and environmental factors revisited

“…In rodent models, several studies reported that supplementation of dietary antioxidants such as selenium and phenolic‐type compounds attenuated allergen‐induced food anaphylaxis in mice models through modulation of the immune cell subsets (Liu et al., 2019; Zhao et al., 2021). Inconsistently, with in vitro cell cultures, it was found that dietary antioxidants such as green tea and wine suppressed the formation of Th1‐type cytokine IFN‐γ, thus leading to a persistent Th2‐type immune response in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) (Murr et al., 2005).…”

Animal Models for the Study of Food Allergies

“…A variety of adjuvants are used when administering purified proteins to reduce the risk of inducing oral tolerance (Mullins et al., 2022). Examples of adjuvants used in mouse models are CT, alum, and SEB (Ando et al., 2017; Arumugam et al., 2011; Brandt et al., 2003; Capobianco et al., 2008; Feehley et al., 2019; Lam et al., 2015; Moutsoglou & Dreskin, 2016; Rodriguez et al., 2012; Tanaka et al., 2011; Zhao et al., 2021; Zlotkowska et al., 2021), CpG oligonucleotide (Adel‐Patient et al., 2007), LPS (Rodriguez et al., 2017), Freund's adjuvant (Zlotkowska et al., 2021), Calcipotriol (Hussain et al., 2018), and house dust mite extract or indoor dust (Dolence et al., 2018) but are usually unnecessary when immunizing with whole food.…”