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Original Article
 

Impact of Glutathione on the Allergenicity of the Peach Lipid Transfer Protein Pru p 3
 

Gómez-Casado C1,2, Tordesillas L1, Kinkel J2, Starkl P2, Cuesta-Herranz J3, Roth-Walter F2, Díaz-Perales A1, Jensen-Jarolim E2,4

1Centre for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology (UPM-INIA), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain
2Comparative Medicine, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University Vienna and University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
3Allergy Service, Jimenez Diaz Foundation, Madrid, Spain
4Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center of Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University Vienna, Austria

J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 2015; Vol. 25(1): 47-54
 

 Abstract


Background and Objective: The allergenic potential of proteins can be altered under various physicochemical conditions. Glutathione (GSH) is a reducing agent that is used as an antioxidant in food products. We aimed to characterize the natural folding of peach proteins and test the allergenicity of reduced and natural Pru p 3, the major peach allergen.

Methods: Pru p 3 was purified from peach, and its conformation was analyzed by means of circular dichroism. Using a thiol fluorescent probe, reduced proteins were detected in fresh peach. GSH-reduced Pru p 3 was tested in vitro for T-cell proliferation and in vivo using skin prick testing.

Results: GSH-reduced Pru p 3 produced variable skin prick reactions in peach-allergic patients. The proliferative response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from allergic patients to reduced Pru p 3 tended to be less intense, whereas secretion of the cytokines IFN-γ, IL-5, and IL-10 was comparable. In a pool of sera from peach-allergic patients, reduction hardly impaired IgE-binding. Moreover, the stability of reduced Pru p 3 to gastrointestinal digestion was similar to that of the natural form.

Conclusions: GSH can at least transiently reduce Pru p 3. We found that the effect of reduction on the allergenicity of Pru p 3 varied. Therefore, as an additive, GSH does not seem to eliminate the risk of reactions for peach-allergic patients.

Key words: GSH. Pru p 3. Peach allergy. Reducing agent. IgE-binding.