Structural changes of 2,2′-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH) treated shrimp tropomyosin decrease allergenicity

Abstract The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of AAPH on the conformational structure and allergenicity of shrimp tropomyosin (TM). The structure of AAPH-TM was evaluated by SDS-PAGE, fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD) and ultraviolet light (UV), and the allergenicity was evaluated by in vivo and in vitro methods. Results showed that AAPH can induce structural changes through TM aggregations. These aggregations can decrease the IgG/IgE binding capacity on immunoblot analysis. Further competitive inhibition ELISA (ciELISA) results showed the IC 50 of AAPH-TM (AAPH 0–25 mmol/l) changed from 0.086 to 46.2 μg/ml, which correlated with TM structural changes. An RBL-2H3 cell assay showed that release rate of β-hexosaminidase and histamine decreased by 51.6% and 68.1% with AAPH (5 mmol/l) treatment, respectively. A mouse model showed AAPH-TM could decrease levels of IgE/IgG1, release of histamine and mMCP-1 in sera. In conclusion, AAPH induced TM aggregation can cause structural changes and decrease the allergenicity.