Study of Allergenicity of 10 Common Fish Species with Human Immunoglobulin E

Abstract

Fish, plays an important role in human diet due to its high nutritional values. According to the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, fish is also among the 8 major allergenic foods which cause immunoglobulin E (IgE)‐mediated hypersensitivity in sensitized individuals. In this study, the allergenicity between common food fish species and human IgE was investigated. An indirect enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA) was used to examine the allergenicity of ten different fish species (salmon, cod, tuna, swordfish, catfish, tilapia, whiting, Red grouper, trout, and Red snapper) against three human sera who were allergic to fish. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) and Western Blot (WB) were used to separate extracted proteins and determine their allergenic components, respectively. iELISA results showed cross‐reactivity among 8 of the ten fish species tested against IgE in three patient's sera. Lack of immunoreactivity for tuna and sword fish was observed, suggesting their hypoallergic nature. Results from WB revealed different IgE‐binding pattern of each serum to fish samples. A 12 kDa protein which was observed as a major thermal‐stable protein in all 8 fish species showing positive results, is likely to be the major fish allergen, parvalbumin. Further studies will explore possible ways to reduce fish allergenicity.