The prevalence of allergies is increasing for several decades, and the tendency cannot be explained only by genetic or health changes, according to specialists. Possible explanations include improved hygiene, large -scale use of antibiotics and antiseptics, lifestyle changes, nutrition, pollution and climate crisis, which can play a major role in this growth, reports news.ro.
But now there is hope for those affected. Thus, the researchers created an antibody from mice that, applied inside the nose, prevents the appearance of allergic rhinitis and asthma to mice exposed to pollen pollen.
The study was recently published in frontiers in Immunology.
Pelin is one of the most common causes of pollen allergy in Central Asia and in some parts of Europe, where between 10% and 15% of people with allergic rhinitis are allergic to it.
According to the latest estimates, about 40% of Europe’s population is allergic to pollen, and their symptoms cause an estimated loss of 100 million days of school and work every year.
“It is the first time that a monoclonal antibody designed to block a certain pollen allergen is administered directly into the nose and it has been shown to protect against allergic symptoms in the upper and lower respiratory tract,” said Prof. Kaissar Tabynov, director of the International Vaccinology Center at the National University of Agricultural Research (Kazahru main of the study.
“In the future, similar antibodies could be developed for other major allergens, such as ambrosia. This opens the way of a new generation of precision anti -allergic treatments, with rapid action, without needles and adapted to individual sensitivities,” the teacher added.
Traditional treatment is the specific immunotherapy of the allergen: patients are exposed to increasing doses until they become desensitized.
However, it does not work for all patients, and in recent decades the so-called “therapy with allergen specific antibodies” has appeared in the foreground.
In this therapy, researchers create antibodies in the IgG class, which either specifically recognize the allergen and block it or bind to IgE antibodies. In both cases, the allergic reaction is prevented. One disadvantage is that these antibodies usually had to be injected into the blood.
The new method is less invasive and acts immediately and locally, at the level of the nasal mucosa, neutralizing the allergen. This ‘molecular shield’ not only prevents the activation of IgE antibodies, but can also reduce inflammation through other mechanisms, such as calming the responses of immune cells.
The researchers injected mice with a dose of pollen pollen, stimulating them to produce antibodies against it. Then the mice were ethically euthanized, and their spleen was taken to isolate the white cells.
The white cells were then merged with cancer cells grown in the laboratory from mice with multiple myeloma. This process has generated five immortalized “hybrid” cell lines, each secreting a single type (hence the “monoclonal”) antibody against the pollen pollen. A series of tests showed that the strongest was the XA19 line, which was selected for further development.
Reducing allergic symptoms
In order to test the effectiveness, purified antibodies from line XA19 were administered inside the nose to five mice, which had previously been stimulated to become allergic to pollin pollen by pollen extract injections.
Five other mice served as a positive control group: they were sensitized in the same way, but received a placebo.
Five other mice were negative control – they were not sensitized and did not receive monoclonal antibodies. Three weeks later, all the mice were exposed three times, under anesthesia, to a pelin pollen aerosol and pollen extract administered directly in the nose.
The results showed that the sensitized mice that received the XA19 antibody had a significant reduction in the allergic symptoms compared to the control groups. Thus, the levels of two cytokines in the lungs were lower.
The researchers concluded that the monoclonal antibody in line XA19 is effective in blocking the allergic reactions triggered by IgE against the pollen pollen, at least in mice.
Before this treatment can be tested in people, researchers must adapt the antibody to be compatible with the human body and carry out additional preclinical studies on safety and effectiveness.