Food allergy promotes a Th2/Th17 response that drives house dust mite-induced allergic airway inflammation in humanized mice.

BACKGROUND Food allergy is related to increasing risk of the development of allergic asthma, but the precise interplay between sensitization to different allergens in different compartments of the body is not fully understood. OBJECTIVE To develop a novel humanized murine model of mixed food and respiratory allergy that recapitulates the human anaphylactic response and to better understand the impact of food allergies on asthma. METHODS Immunodeficient mice transferred with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from donors with peanut and house dust mite (HDM) allergy were exposed and challenged to peanut. Between peanut exposure and challenge, mice were intranasally treated to HDM. Allergic parameters were analyzed. RESULTS Allergen-specific IgE in sera could only be measured in mice treated PBMCs plus allergen. A preceding peanut exposure increased IgE levels, histamine release, bronchial hyper-responsiveness and lung inflammation. Recruitment of inflammatory cells to the airways was aggravated associated with an enhanced Th2/Th17 cytokine secretion when the two allergies were present. CONCLUSION A preceding peanut exposure amplifies allergic asthma in this humanized model, which may contribute to the understanding of underlying immunological mechanism of polysensitization occurring in allergic individuals and evaluation of therapeutic interventions.