| Food allergy, including sesame allergy, is a growing and significant international public health problem. The mechanism of sesame allergy is not completely known and a mouse model to study sesame allergy is unavailable at present. In this study, efforts were made to address these problems, by comparing the immune response of sesame with vanilla (a non-allergenic food). Furthermore, a pilot study was conducted to test the effect of boiling and baking on sesame allergenicity in a mouse model. Two specific hypotheses were tested. (1) Whereas sesame triggers Type-2 associated immune response (i.e., increased specific IgE, IgG1 antibody levels and eosinophilia), vanilla elicits Type-I associated immune response (i.e., elevated specific IgG2a) in mice. (2) Boiling as well as baking reduces allergenicity of sesame in mouse model.; We found that exposure of mice to sesame via intraperitoneal (i.p.) or epicutaneous route resulted in significantly elevated specific IgE, IgG1 as well as IgG2a antibody responses relative to vanilla. Exposure of mice to sesame, but not vanilla, resulted in significant eosinophilia only in the i.p. route of sensitization. These patterns of response were dependent on route, dose and strain of mice used. Boiling and baking significantly reduced the allergenicity of sesame to varying extents depending on the strain of the mice used and the method of processing. |
