Gastric Enzyme Supplementation Inhibits Food Allergy in a BALB/c Mouse Model.

Nazanin Samadi,Johanna Rohrhofer,Martina Klems,Erika Jensen-Jarolim,Eva Untersmayr,Eleonore Weidmann,Larissa Koidl,Martina Salzmann,Denise Heiden

doi:10.3390/nu13030738

Nazanin Samadi, Johanna Rohrhofer + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13030738

Copy DOI

Abstract

Impaired gastric digestion due to suppressed gastric acidity enhances the risk for food allergy development. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of a supported gastric digestion via application of a pharmaceutical gastric enzyme solution (GES) on food allergy development and allergic reactions in a BALB/c mouse model. The ability of the GES to restore hypoacidic conditions was tested in mice treated with gastric acid suppression medication. To evaluate the impact on allergic symptoms, mice were orally sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) under gastric acid suppression and subjected to oral challenges with or without GES. The immune response was evaluated by measurement of antibody titers, cytokine levels, mucosal allergy effector cell influx and regulatory T-cell counts. Clinical response was objectified by core body temperature measurements after oral OVA challenge. Supplementation of GES transiently restored physiological pH levels in the stomach after pharmaceutical gastric acid suppression. During oral sensitization, supplementation of gastric enzymes significantly reduced systemic IgE, IgG1 and IgG2a levels and allergic symptoms. In food allergic mice, clinical symptoms were reduced by co-administration of the gastric enzyme solution. Support of gastric digestion efficiently prevents food allergy induction and alleviates clinical symptoms in our food allergy model.

Highlights

Our results indicate that a single administration was only transiently able to significantly decrease the hypoacidic intragastric pH levels (Figure 1)
We have previously demonstrated that during sensitization under concomitant gastric acid suppression, the microbiota composition confers a protective effect against food allergy development [33]
We have demonstrated protection against allergic symptoms as indicated by a core body temperature drop in animals receiving support of gastric digestion via administration of gastric enzymes

Summary

Introduction

We aimed to evaluate the impact of a supported gastric digestion via application of a pharmaceutical gastric enzyme solution (GES) on food allergy development and allergic reactions in a BALB/c mouse model. To evaluate the impact on allergic symptoms, mice were orally sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) under gastric acid suppression and subjected to oral challenges with or without GES. Supplementation of GES transiently restored physiological pH levels in the stomach after pharmaceutical gastric acid suppression. Supplementation of gastric enzymes significantly reduced systemic IgE, IgG1 and IgG2a levels and allergic symptoms. Clinical symptoms were reduced by co-administration of the gastric enzyme solution. Low intragastric pH levels are essential for gastric enzyme activation, with pepsin being one of the key enzymes to initiate food protein digestion along the gastrointestinal tract.

Objectives

Methods

Results