Artemisia vulgaris pollen allergoids digestibility in the simulated conditions of the gastrointestinal tract

Abstract

Chemically modified allergens (allergoids) have found use in both traditional and novel forms of immunotherapy of allergic disorders. Novel forms of immunotherapy include local allergen delivery, via the gastrointestinal tract. This study conveys the gastrointestinal stability of three types of mugwort pollen allergoids under simulated conditions of the gut. Allergoids of the pollen extract of Artemisia vulgaris were obtained by means of potassium cyanate, succinic and maleic anhydride. Gastrointestinal tract conditions (saliva, and gastric fluid) were simulated in accordance with the EU Pharmacopoeia. The biochemical and immunochemical properties of the derivatives following exposure to different conditions were monitored by determining the number of residual amino groups with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid, SDS PAGE, immunoblotting and inhibition of mugwort-specific IgE. Exposure to saliva fluid for 2 min did not influence the biochemical and immunochemical properties of the derivatives. In the very acidic conditions of the simulated gastric fluid, the degree of demaleylation and desuccinylation, even after 4 h exposure, was low, ranging from 10 to 30 %. The digestion patterns with pepsin proceeded rapidly in both the unmodified and modified samples. In all four cases, a highly resistant IgE-binding protein the Mwof which was about 28-35 kD, was present. Within the physiological conditions, no new IgE binding epitopes were revealed, as demonstrated by immunoblot and CAP inhibition of the mugwort specific IgE binding. An important conclusion of this study is the stability of the modified derivatives in the gastrointestinal tract of patients, within physiological conditions. The means that they are suitable for use in much higher concentrations in local forms of immunotherapy than unmodified ones.

U ovom radu su prikazani rezultati ispitivanja stabilnosti tri tipa alergoida polena pelina u simuliranom želudačnom soku. Koristeći kalijum-cijanat anhidrid ćilibarne i anhidrid maleinske kiseline, napravljeni su alergoidi polena pelina (Artemisia vulgaris). Saliva i želudačni sok su simulirani na osnovu evropske farmakopeje. Biohemijske i imunohemijske osobine derivata posle izlaganja različitim uslovima, praćene su: određivanjem broja slobodnih amino grupa u reakciji sa TNBS, SDS PAG elektroforezom, imunoblotom i određivanjem pelin-specifičnog imunoglobulina E (IgE). Izlaganje salivi u trajanju od 2 minuta ne utiče na biohemijske i imunohemijske osobine derivata. U kiseloj sredini želudačnog soka ne dolazi do značajnog demaleilovawa i desukcinilovanja. Čak i posle četvoročasovnog izlaganja, taj procenat je u opsegu 10-30 %. Alergoidi pelina se trenutno digestuju pepsinom, sa izuzetkom visoko rezistentne proteinske trake molekulske mase 28-35 kD, koja odgovara važnom IgE-vezujućem proteinu polena pelina. Imunoblotom i CAP-inhibicijom je pokazano da, u okviru fizioloških uslova, ne dolazi do stvaranja novih IgE-vezujućih epitopa. Hemijska stabilnost modifikovanih derivata u simuliranim uslovima želudačnog soka omogućuje da se tokom imunoterapije mogu primenjivati veće doze alergoida nego nemodifikovanog ekstrakta polena pelina.