Are milk polyamines preventive agents against food allergy?

Abstract

Insufficient polyamine intake could play a role in the induction of sensitization to dietary allergens. This proposal is based essentially on investigations made in sucking rats and in children. In sucking rats it has been established that oral administration of spermine can induce all the modifications occurring in the digestive tract at weaning. In the intestine events occur in two phases. The early event consists of desquamation of the epithelium resulting from an activation of apoptosis. The late event appears to involve an hormonal cascade in which adrenocorticotropic hormone, cytokines, bombesin and corticosterone are included. Observations in human subjects show that: (1) the spermine and spermidine concentrations are generally lower in infant formulas than in human breast milk. Mothers seem consistently to have relatively high or relatively low concentrations of spermine and spermidine in their milk. These individual variations may be due to diet, lifestyle or genetic background; (2) the probability of developing allergy can reach 80 % if the mean spermine concentration in the milk is lower than 2 nmol/ml milk. It is approximately 0 % if the mean spermine concentration is higher than 13 nmol/ml milk; (3) preliminary results show that the intestinal permeability to macromolecules differs in premature babies when they are fed on breast milk compared with infant formulas (J Senterre, J Rigo, G Forget, G Dandrifosse and N Romain, unpublished results). This difference does not seem to be present when powdered milk is supplemented with polyamines at the concentration found in breast milk; (4) spermine increases proliferation and differentiation of lymphocytes isolated from the tonsils of children.

Toxicological Effects of Dietary Biogenic Amines

“…In humans in particular, these substances could play a role in the prevention of food allergies [15]. …”

Implicaciones de las poliaminas en la salud infantil

“…Según el trabajo sobre las poliaminas dietéticas de Dandrifosse et al, 55 la espermina incrementa la proliferación y la diferenciación en cultivos celulares de linfocitos aislados de amígdalas de niños; las poliaminas pueden ejercer efectos tróficos directos sobre las células intestinales inmaduras al mejorar la permeabilidad de la mucosa y afectar también a la maduración de órganos asociados, como hígado y páncreas; paralelamente se logra una maduración del sistema inmunitario intestinal, al actuar en especial sobre la diferenciación de la población linfocitaria intraepitelial. En el mencionado estudio se concluye que la permeabilidad intestinal a macromoléculas es menor en niños prematuros alimentados con leche materna que en alimentados a base de fórmulas lácteas, diferencia que desaparece cuando las fórmulas se suplementan con poliaminas.…”

“…También, se ha visto que la acción de las poliaminas en ratas lactantes produce un incremento de los niveles de inmunoglobulinas en las vellosidades y en las criptas. 55 Buts et al, 44 confirman esta relación en ratas nacidas prematuras. Otros estudios con ratones recién nacidos, 45 confirman que las poliaminas están involucradas en la reparación de la mucosa, la contractibilidad muscular y la respuesta inmunitaria/inflamatoria.…”

Polyamine Contents inPlantagoSpecies Exhibiting Different Allergic Significance

“…Insufficient PA intake could play a role in the induction of sensitization to dietary allergens. Dandrifosse et al (11) and Peulen et al (12) have determined the babies on breast milk appear to be exposed too much higher amounts of PAs than babies on artificial food. The concentration of Spm and Spd in powdered baby milks was found to be lower than in human milk.…”