Abstract
Hay fever is notoriously triggered when nasal mucosa is exposed to allergenic pollen. One possibility to overcome this pollen exposure may be the application of an ointment with physical protective effects. In this context, we have investigated Bepanthen® Eye and Nose Ointment and the ointment basis petrolatum as reference while using contemporary in vitro techniques. Pollen from false ragweed (Iva xanthiifolia) was used as an allergy-causing model deposited as aerosol using the Vitrocell® Powder Chamber (VPC) on Transwell® inserts, while being coated with either Bepanthen® Eye and Nose Ointment and petrolatum. No pollen penetration into ointments was observed upon confocal scanning laser microscopy during an incubation period of 2 h at 37 °C. The cellular response was further investigated by integrating the MucilAir™ cell system in the VPC and by applying pollen to Bepanthen® Eye and Nose Ointment covered cell cultures. For comparison, MucilAir™ were stimulated by lipopolysaccharides (LPS). No increased cytokine release of IL-6, TNF-α, or IL-8 was found after 4 h of pollen exposure, which demonstrates the safety of such ointments. Since nasal ointments act as a physical barrier against pollen, such preparations might support the prevention and management of hay fever.
Highlights
Pollen allergy is a major public health problem worldwide and around 400 million people suffer from allergic rhinitis, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) [1]
In addition to traditional complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) against hay fever, such as homeopathic remedies [10] and nasal ointments, which act as a physical barrier to pollen and are able to provide a supportive effect without adverse effects that are similar to that of H1 antihistamines [11,12]
The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of nasal ointments acting as a physical barrier against aerosolized pollen
Summary
Pollen allergy is a major public health problem worldwide and around 400 million people suffer from allergic rhinitis, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) [1]. A well-known and frequent property of oral treatment with H1 antihistamines is the negative impact on the nervous system, such as sedative effects [5]. These adverse effects were reduced in the second generation of H1 antihistamines, such as Cetirizine [6]. The research of new therapy strategies that are based on CAM is highly cost-intensive [9] These CAMs are associated with a delayed response, which is not suitable in the acute case for reducing allergy symptoms. In addition to traditional CAMs against hay fever, such as homeopathic remedies [10] and nasal ointments, which act as a physical barrier to pollen and are able to provide a supportive effect without adverse effects that are similar to that of H1 antihistamines [11,12]
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