Reduction of allergenicity of irradiated ovalbumin in ovalbumin-allergic mice

• Published in: Radiation physics and chemistry (Oxford, England : 1993) England : 1993), 2007-11, Vol.76 (11), p.1855-1857
• Main Authors: Seo, Ji-Hyun, Lee, Ju-Woon, Kim, Jae-Hun, Byun, Eui-Baek, Lee, Soo-Young, Kang, Il-Jun, Byun, Myung-Woo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Allergy; Gamma irradiation; Ovalbumin; Therapeutics
• ISSN: 0969-806X; 1879-0895
• DOI: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2007.02.094

Egg allergy is one of the most serious of the immediate hypersensitivity reactions to foods. Such an allergic disorder is mediated by IgE antibodies stimulated by T-helper type 2 (Th2) lymphocytes. This study was undertaken to evaluate changes of allergenicity and cytokine profiles by exposure of irradiated ovalbumin (OVA), a major allergen of egg white, in the OVA-allergic mice model. OVA solutions (2 mg/ml in 0.01 M phosphate buffered saline (PBS) were gamma-irradiated to 50 and 100 kGy. The allergenicity in the OVA-allergy-induced mice model was remarkably reduced when challenged with irradiated OVA. Cultures of spleen cells harvested from OVA-sensitized mice showed a significant decrease in Th2 cytokine levels of ILs-4 and -5 with a concomitant increase in Th1 cytokine levels of IL-12 when co-cultured with irradiated OVA. However, IFN- γ level decreased dependant on the radiation dose of co-cultured OVA. The levels of IgEs and Th2-cytokine were reduced dependant on the radiation dose. These data show that the irradiated OVA could downregulate the activity of Th2 lymphocytes in OVA-sensitized mice.