Spectrum of Allergens and Allergen Biology in India

Abstract

The growing prevalence of allergy and asthma in India has become a major health concern with symptoms ranging from mild rhinitis to severe asthma and even life-threatening anaphylaxis. The “allergen repertoire” of this subcontinent is highly diverse due to the varied climate, flora, and food habits. The proper identification, purification, and molecular characterization of allergy-eliciting molecules are essential in order to facilitate an accurate diagnosis and to design immunotherapeutic vaccines. Although several reports on prevalent allergens are available, most of these studies were based on preliminary detection and identification of the allergens. Only a few of these allergen molecules have been characterized by recombinant technology and structural biology. The present review first describes the composition, distribution pattern, and natural sources of the predominant allergens in India along with the prevalence of sensitization to these allergens across the country. We go on to present a comprehensive report on the biochemical, immunological, and molecular information on the allergens reported so far from India. The review also covers the studies on allergy- related biosafety assessment of transgenic plants. Finally, we discuss the allergen-specific immunotherapy trials performed in India.

Identification and biochemical characterization of Asp t 36, a new fungal allergen from Aspergillus terreus

“…In India, more than 25% of the total population exhibit some sort of atopic diseases due to aeroallergen exposure (3). Amongst the aerospora, Aspergillus species are widely distributed in nature.…”

The burden of allergic diseases in the Indian subcontinent: barriers and challenges

“…7,8 Within India, there are variations with respect to weather, pollens and fungal spores, insects such as cockroaches, and other living conditions, and meteorological data regarding environmental allergens are sparse. 9 This variation in conditions and absence of data is further complicated by an absence of access to standardised allergen extracts for skin tests in India, making an accurate allergy diagnosis challenging, leading to poor characterisation of disease and generating unreliable epidemiological data. 9 Additionally, standardised allergen-specific immunotherapy (desensitisation treatment) extracts are not generally available in India, making management of moderate-severe allergic rhinitis challenging.…”

Allergenicity assessment of Delonix regia pollen grain and identification of allergens by immunoproteomic approach

“…The incidence of allergic outbreak is also increasing in Asian countries. More than 25% of the Indian population is suffering from various types of allergic diseases (Bhattacharya et al, 2018). As vegetation of this area is entirely different from western countries, the sensitizing allergens are also varying.…”

“…Only a few biochemical works was done previously on the identification of the offending pollen allergens of this region. So, there is an increasing need of molecular characterization of allergens of indigenous vegetation for developing proper treatment strategy in future (Bhattacharya et al, 2018).…”