Tick bite induced α‐gal syndrome highlights anticancer effect of allergy

Abstract

Tick bite induced α-gal syndrome (AGS) following consumption of mammalian meat is a recently described intriguing disease occurring worldwide. Here we argue that AGS and delayed allergy in general is an adaptive defence method against cancer. Our hypothesis synthesizes two lines of supporting evidence. First, allergy has been shown to have direct anti-cancer effects with unknown mechanism. Second, eating processed meat was shown to be linked to developing cancer. Humans lost their genes encoding molecules α-gal 30 MYA and Neu5Gc 2 MYA, the latter co-occurring with the start of using fire. These molecules are acquired from external sources, as tick bite for α-gal and mammalian meat for Neu5Gc, the latter accumulating in tumors. The resulting specific delayed allergic response is a molecular adaptation to fight cancer. By further testing and applying our hypothesis, new avenues in cancer research and therapy will open that might save lives and decrease human suffering.

Allergy-assisted cancer therapy

“…It provides clues to the physical and chemical nature of metastatic cancer [28]. A medically induced gelatin allergy (i.e., collagen allergy [29], α-gal syndrome [30]), using a hyper-allergenic skin cream as the delivery system, may disrupt the formation and integrity of the extracellular matrix to affect immune tolerance through IgE antibody cross-reactivity [31].…”

Alpha‐Gal Syndrome: An Underrated Serious Disease and a Potential Future Challenge

“…In addition, it is recommended to use the same batch of heparin in the skin test that will be used in the surgery. [66,68] Recently, Péter Apari et al [69] examined the relationship between red meat allergy and tumor immunity and proposed that AGS is an adaptive cancer defense mechanism. Paleontological studies indicate that the 𝛼-gal gene and Neu5Gc (N-hydroxyneuraminic acid) gene were lost from the human genome 30 and 2 million years ago, respectively, during evolution.…”

Alpha-gal syndrome

“…Further research on the pathogenesis of AGS will provide a deeper understanding of the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of infection, allergic diseases, and even tumors. [ 5 ]…”