Abstract
Food allergy is rising at an alarming rate and is a major public health concern. Globally, food allergy affects over 500 million people, often starting in early childhood and increasingly reported in adults. Commercially, only one approved oral immunotherapy-based treatment is currently available and other allergen-based immunotherapeutic are being investigated in clinical studies. As an alternative approach, a substantial amount of research has been conducted on natural compounds and probiotics, focusing on the immune modes of action, and therapeutic uses of such sources to tackle various immune-related diseases. Food allergy is primarily mediated by IgE antibodies and the suppression of allergic symptoms seems to be mostly modulated through a reduction of allergen-specific IgE antibodies, upregulation of blocking IgG, and downregulation of effector cell activation (e.g., mast cells) or expression of T-helper 2 (Th-2) cytokines. A wide variety of investigations conducted in small animal models or cell-based systems have reported on the efficacy of natural bioactive compounds and probiotics as potential anti-allergic therapeutics. However, very few lead compounds, unlike anti-cancer and anti-microbial applications, have been selected for clinical trials in the treatment of food allergies. Natural products or probiotic-based approaches appear to reduce the symptoms and/or target specific pathways independent of the implicated food allergen. This broad range therapeutic approach essentially provides a major advantage as several different types of food allergens can be targeted with one approach and potentially associated with a lower cost of development. This review provides a brief overview of the immune mechanisms underlying food allergy and allergen-specific immunotherapy, followed by a comprehensive collection of current studies conducted to investigate the therapeutic applications of natural compounds and probiotics, including discussions of their mode of action and immunological aspects of their disease-modifying capabilities.
Highlights
Food allergy is a type-I hypersensitivity reaction caused by protein antigens found in various food sources, marked by elevated levels of IgE antibodies that can lead to potentially life-threatening clinical reactions
In a recent cross-sectional survey involving over 40,000 adults in the US, it was shown that at least 10% are food allergic, with the most common food allergy being to shellfish followed by milk, peanut, tree nut, and fish [10]
We provide a detailed insight into the current research developments on natural bioactive compounds and probiotics as potential candidates for the prevention and treatment of food allergy
Summary
Food allergy is a type-I hypersensitivity reaction caused by protein antigens found in various food sources, marked by elevated levels of IgE antibodies that can lead to potentially life-threatening clinical reactions. This review primarily focuses on the potential of natural bioactive compounds and probiotics as novel candidates in the prevention and treatment of food allergy These sources may have the potential to complement current AIT-based approaches to provide tolerance against allergic diseases. Several recent reports have indicated that chemically active metabolites from marine algae can suppress allergen specific antibodies such as IgE, IgG, IgG1 by downregulating CD3, CD4, and CD8 cell surface receptors thereby attenuating the cytokine response (e.g., IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13), in both in vitro and in vivo models of allergy [17, 75,76,77,78]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
