Abstract
BackgroundJapanese cedar (JC) pollinosis is a serious type I allergic disease in Japan. Although subcutaneous immunotherapy and sublingual immunotherapy have been applied to treat JC pollinosis, high doses of allergens may cause IgE-mediated allergic reactions. The transgenic rice seeds that contain genetically modified Cry j 1 and Cry j 2, the two major allergens of JC pollen, have been developed as candidates for oral immunotherapy. Although the antigens in the transgenic rice seeds (Tg-rice seeds) were engineered such that they decrease binding ability with IgE and they are of insufficient length to cross-link IgE on the surface of mast cells or basophils, the safety of Tg-rice seeds for patients with JC pollinosis was unclear.MethodsTo verify the safety of Tg-rice seeds in terms of allergies, we investigated the percentage of activated basophils induced by Tg-rice seed extract in the basophil activation test. Blood samples from 29 patients with JC pollinosis were collected. Tg-rice seed extract, non-transgenic wild-type rice seed extract, and Cry j 1 and Cry j 2 were mixed with the blood with reagents. The percentage of activated basophils was assessed by CD203c expression, a basophil activation marker.ResultsThe percentage of activated basophils after the stimulation with Tg-rice seed extract was 4.5 ± 1.6% (mean ± SD) compared with 62.9 ± 20.2% after Cry j 1- and Cry j 2-stimulation (difference 58.4%, P < 0.001, 95% confidence interval 51.0–65.9%).ConclusionsThe results will contribute to the safety of Tg-rice seeds in terms of allergies.
Highlights
Japanese cedar (JC) pollinosis is a serious type I allergic disease in Japan
The severity of JC pollinosis were determined based on paroxysmal sneezing or rhinorrhea, and nasal blockage according to Japanese guidelines for allergic rhinitis 2017 [3]
The proliferation of allergenspecific lymphocytes following stimulation with 1:40 dilution of Tg-rice seed extract was more than twice as much as that induced by 1:40 dilution of WT-rice seed extract, and it was almost equivalent to the proliferation following stimulation with the mixture consisting of Cry j 1 and Cry j 2 (Fig. 1)
Summary
Japanese cedar (JC) pollinosis is a serious type I allergic disease in Japan. Subcutaneous immunotherapy and sublingual immunotherapy have been applied to treat JC pollinosis, high doses of allergens may cause IgE-mediated allergic reactions. SCIT often induces severe adverse reactions like local allergic reactions, urticaria, asthma, and anaphylaxis. A few cases of anaphylaxis have been reported after SLIT using a crude or standardized vaccine [7,8,9,10,11]. In both immunotherapies, high doses of allergens may cause various adverse events, including an anaphylactic reaction
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