Common asthma drug could prevent life-threatening allergic reactions
Stephanie Eisenbarth and Adam Williams preparing peanuts for allergies research in their laboratory
Northwest University
Current asthma medication has been shown to protect the anaphylaxis mice – a potentially fatal allergic reaction. The drug, called Zileuton, has long been used to treat asthma and is now tested in humans as a possible treatment for allergic reactions to food.
Although many people have food allergies, it is difficult to predict the risk of anaphylaxis individual during exposure to an allergen. Researchers have worked to understand why some people with positive blood tests for food allergens have no symptoms, while others experience severe, sometimes fatal reactions.
“Our goal is to find ways to ensure that people with symptomatic food allergies tolerate exposure to allergens,” said Stephanie Eisenbarth at the North West University in Illinois.
Eisenbarth and his colleagues used groups of five to 10 mice that had been made aware of peanut allergens so that they had to feel the anaphylaxis with an exposure to peanuts. Each mouse received a single oral dose of Zileuton for about an hour before being nourished by peanut extract. A control group did not receive the medication. Then, the researchers watched the mice posed at Zileuton for signs of anaphylaxis, such as a drop in body temperature and an increase in heart rate, and found that almost all the mice treated in Zileuton remained free from symptoms. The control group has shown clear signs of anaphylaxis.
Most of the proteins we eat are broken down, but some are actively transported through the intestine and in the intact blood circulation. In very allergic people, they trigger immune cells and cause anaphylaxis.
During an allergic reaction, the body also releases chemicals called leukotrians. In mice, researchers have discovered that leukotrians control how many intact proteins go through the intestine. They also found that a gene called DPEP1 is involved in the regulation of leukotrians rupture.
One of the effects of Zileuton is to block 5-lipoxygenase, an enzyme necessary to produce leukotrians. Giving the drug to mice has reduced leukotière levels, allowing DPEP1 To keep the remaining leukotrians in check, preventing the absorption of allergens and blocking anaphylaxis in sensitive mice. A single oral dose of Zileuton resulted in a 95% drop in anaphylaxis rates.
“We could take mice that normally react to food allergens and make them insensitive. We are now testing if the same drug, which is already used clinically for asthma, can reduce the absorption of allergens in the intestine of food allergic people. If this is the case, this could provide treatment to prevent anaphylaxis, ”explains Eisenbarth.
Jorge Emiliano Gómez Medellín at the University of Chicago said that this simple pill could relieve significant relief from accidental allergens. He adds that even if Zileuton can prevent the absorption of food allergens, he could not change the sensitivity of a long -term person.
“Nevertheless, Zileuton has the potential to become an important asset in our fight against food allergies,” he said.
