Peanut allergy: a mouse model comparison (HYP4P.309)

Abstract

Abstract Peanut induced anaphylaxis often results in a bi-phasic response, associated with a second anaphylaxis once current treatment interventions have been removed. Previous reports have suggested that this response is associated with elevated levels of platelet activating factor. Our studies have focused on refining the murine model of peanut anaphylaxis with the hypothesis that we can generate a model that recapitulates the anaphylactic response to peanuts. We used BALB/c and C3H/HeJ mice (N=20 for each study) mice were sensitized weekly for 6 weeks with crude peanut extract in cholera toxin. Mice were then grouped for crude peanut extract or saline challenge by intra-peritoneal injection. In all mice, temperatures and clinical scores were accessed both early post injection as well as 2 hours later. Serum, lungs, spleen, and liver were stored from all animals for future studies. The BALB/c strain had a mean temperature change from baseline of 0.2 C⁰ for the controls initial post IP versus the 1.89 C⁰ for the challenged mice. The C3H/HeJ strain had a mean temperature change from baseline of 0.1 C⁰ for the controls at the initial post IP versus the 4.2 C⁰ change for the challenged mice. Similar results were noted at the 2 hour mark with the C3H/HeJ strain with the greater temperature change. Both strains had notable changes in clinical scores between the control and challenge groups. This was more pronounced in the C3H/HeJ mice both clinically and by temperature measurement.