Abstract
Calprotectin, also known as S100A8/A9, has been linked to gut inflammation caused by IgE-mediated food hypersensitivities, but the pathophysiologic abnormalities it causes remain to be determined. We created a mild food hypersensitivity model through oral gavage of ovalbumin in Norway brown rats without using immune adjuvant. Changes in the levels of calprotectin and inflammation-associated cytokines were then observed over time. We found that fecal calprotectin as well as jejunal and liver TLR4, TNF-α, NF-κB, IL-1β, and IL-6 were upregulated in hypersensitive rats. Additionally, the influence of calprotectin on CD4+ T and dendritic cells was observed by co-culturing CD4+ T cells with dendritic cells, which revealed a shift toward increased Th2 T cells in calprotectin-treated cultures. These results suggest that calprotectin, along with other inflammatory factors, promotes the inflammation seen in mild food allergy.
Highlights
Food allergy, one of the most prevalent ailments in young children, is defined as an adverse health effect caused by a specific immune response that takes place reproducibly upon exposure to a given food [1]
We found that fecal calprotectin as well as jejunal and liver Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), TNF-α, NF-κB, IL-1β, and IL-6 were upregulated in hypersensitive rats
Some reported that children suffering from food allergy presented 2-fold higher concentration of fecal calprotectin compared with healthy children [13]
Summary
One of the most prevalent ailments in young children, is defined as an adverse health effect caused by a specific immune response that takes place reproducibly upon exposure to a given food [1]. Because both immune and non-immune functions in children, especially infants, are immature, upon consumption of an offending food antigen they are more vulnerable to allergic reactions with varying degrees of severity. An applicable surrogate marker for gut mucosal inflammation [11] has received attention due to its altered level in both children [12,13,14] and adults [15] with food allergy. Beser et al [12] obtained similar results when they compared infants with milk allergy to healthy infants
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