Japanese Cedar Pollen-Based Subcutaneous Immunotherapy Decreases Tomato Fruit-Specific Basophil Activation

Abstract

Background: Some patients with Japanese cedar pollen (JCP)-induced allergic rhinitis develop pollen-food allergy syndrome (PFAS) as a reaction to tomato fruit. Pollen allergen-specific subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) is reportedly beneficial for some associated food allergies; however, the reported changes in food allergen-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)E and IgG₄ levels are inconsistent. Here, we investigated immunologic reactivity to tomato fruit after JCP-based SCIT. Methods: Twenty-three children (aged 6-17 years) with JCP-induced allergic rhinitis and sensitized to tomato (serum tomato fruit-specific IgE level >0.34 UA/ml) received JCP-based SCIT. Basophil activation by tomato and JCP extracts and serum-specific IgE and IgG₄ levels against these allergens were determined before and after 4 or 5 months of maintenance SCIT. Basophil activation was assessed by monitoring CD203c upregulation on flow cytometry. Results: JCP-based SCIT significantly reduced the basophil activation caused by tomato fruit (p = 0.03) and JCP (p < 0.001) extracts. JCP-specific IgG₄ levels markedly increased after SCIT (p < 0.001), whereas tomato fruit-specific IgG₄ levels did not. After SCIT, no significant changes were observed in specific IgE levels for tomato fruit (p = 0.11) or JCP (p = 0.19). Conclusions: Tomato fruit-specific basophil activation decreases after JCP-based SCIT, suggesting that it is efficacious in relieving and preventing the symptoms of PFAS in patients with JCP-induced allergic rhinitis.

Sensitization to Gibberellin-Regulated Protein (Peamaclein) Among Italian Cypress Pollen–Sensitized Patients

“…Already in 2002, J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 2022; Vol. 32 1© 2020 Esmon Publicidad doi: 10.18176/jiaci.0542 Kondo et al [26] showed the cross reactivity between Japanese cedar pollen and tomato fruit, an observation that was indirectly confirmed more than a decade later in a study of immunotherapy with Japanese cedar pollen [27]. The cross reactivity was shown to be borne by polygalacturonase.…”

A case of hand urticaria, lip angioedema, and oropharyngeal pruritus induced by Japanese radish through IgE-mediated immediate allergic reaction

“…In the current case, our patient had specific IgE antibodies for Japanese cedar pollen, however, she had no symptoms of cedar pollinosis-including rhinoconjunctivitis. Moreover, it has been reported that patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis have PFAS caused by tomato fruit, but not radish [26,27]. Mugwort-mustard allergy syndrome describes the association of mugwort pollinosis with several foods allergy from the mustard family [28][29][30].…”

The subtype of Cupressaceae pollinosis associated with Pru p 7 sensitization is characterized by a sensitization to a cross‐reactive gibberellin‐regulated protein in cypress pollen: BP14

“…Whether other allergens may be cross-reactive between peach and cypress pollen remains an interesting open question because, for instance, polygalacturonase was shown to be a cross-reactive allergen between tomato and Japanese cedar pollen. 12 If the authors wish to send us their sera, we will test them with our robust and discriminative analytical methods and reagents to unravel the allergens recognized by their selected patients in a wellcharacterized cypress pollen extract.…”