Abstract
Rationale Pineapple is an exotic fruit very common in the population diet. No IgE-mediated reactions to pineapple have been described, and no major allergens have yet been identified. The aim of this study was to start characterizing the allergens of pineapple. Methods Informed consent was obtained from subjects involved in the investigation. Eleven sera from patients with allergic symptoms after eating pineapple were tested for specific IgE antibodies by ELISA and the positive sera were used for immunoblotting assays. Pineapple extract was separated by means of SDS-PAGE and transferred onto 0.2 μg nitrocellulose (NC) membrane. IgE antibody detection was performed with alkaline phosphatase-conjugated mouse polyclonal anti-human IgE. ELISA inhibition experiments were done with kiwi and pineapple extracts using two positive sera. Results Five of the eleven patients (45%) with symptoms of pineapple allergy had a positive ELISA. Immunoblotting with these sera showed IgE binding to proteins of 24KD (5/5), 39KD (3/5) and 70KD (3/5). Conclusions Specific IgE in pineapple allergic patients binds several allergens in a pineapple extract. Inhibition experiments with kiwi extract suggest cross-reactivity between these two fruits.
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