Anaphylaxis Is Enhanced by Increased Absorption of Antigen in Postinflammatory State

Abstract

Hemagglutinating antibodies and cell-mediated immunity are increased when antigens are injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) into rats during the healing phase of a chemical peritonitis. In the present work, the anaphylactogenic effects of either sensitization or challenge were increased when any of three different antigens were injected i.p. in the postinflammatory state. The postinflammatory state made it possible to sensitize rats for anaphylaxis without any adjuvants at all. Lymph nodes draining the peritoneal cavity had evidence of enhanced absorption of inoculum in the postinflammatory state.

The Balance between Lymphatic and Systemic Absorption Determines the Outcome of Sensitization for Anaphylaxis in Rats

“…The results were similar whether the sensitization was abetted by NaOCI pretreatment or by PV (table 1). When neither NaOCI nor PV were used, there was no anaphylaxis from either high or low dose sensitiza tion followed by the usual challenge (not included in ta ble 1), which confirms the previous report [14]. When both NaOCI and PV were used, OV challenge caused lethal ana phylaxis regardless o f whether the rats had been sensitized with high or low doses of antigen (table 1, last line).…”

“…It seemed possible that the inverse dose-response relation could be studied advantageously in a system where adju vants were unnecessary and where the endpoint was ana phylaxis. Both criteria were met by a recently developed method for enhancing absorption of antigens from the peri toneal cavity o f rats during the healing phase o f a chemical peritonitis, thereby increasing antibody levels [13] and ana phylaxis [14], and producing anaphylaxis without using ad juvants [14], The use of anaphylaxis as the end point instead of IgE in the present work maintained continuity with these previous studies. In addition, titers of circulating IgE do not always correlate with anaphylaxis [15] and there may be variables in anaphylaxis besides IgE that influence the re sults, for example, the inverse dose response of histamine release [16].…”

“…In experiments without adjuvants, sensitization by i.p. route was promoted by prior production o f a chemical peritonitis with 0.17% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCI; 5ml/100g body weight o f a 1:300 dilution in saline of household bleach) [13,14]. This procedure enhances immunization by increasing the absorption o f antigen into the draining lymph nodes, but it is not an adjuvant in the usual sense of the word.…”

Distribution of Small Intestinal Lesions in Anaphylaxis of Rats

“…Three fourths of the rats also received pertussis vaccine (2 ×10 10 organisms) in the dorsum of the same foot. Thirteen days later, the rats were challenged with 10 mg of ovalbumin or azoalbumin, 100 mg casein, or 0.1 ml mouse serum intravenously in male rats and by subplantar route in female rats [for other details, see [4][5][6].…”