CONFERENCE PROCEEDING
The role of lipocalins in allergic sensitization and their novel role in symptom relief: Two faces of one protein family
 
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1
Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Centre of Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
 
2
Interuniversity Messerli Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
 
 
Publication date: 2022-05-27
 
 
Public Health Toxicol 2022;2(Supplement Supplement 1):A78
 
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Background:
Lipocalins form a protein family with great functional similarities. Specifically, they absorb hydrophobic ligands, often complexed with iron, into their molecular pocket, and thereby act bacteriostatic. Accordingly, human lipocalin-2 (LCN2) is an acute phase protein involved in immune defense. Allergics harbor significantly lower LCN2 levels1, in parallel they suffer from intracellular micronutritional deficiencies, especially of iron2.

Aim:
To study:
  1. whether the loading of lipocalins may determine why some animal lipocalins act as allergens, and
  2. whether loaded ligands may turn lipocalins tolerogenic.


Results:
The lipocalin beta-lactoglobulin (BLG), best known from cow´s milk, acted as allergen only in its empty form3,4. However, BLG complexed with ligands occurred in cow stable dust and contributed to the allergy protective effect of farms5. We developed a lozenge using BLG as a Trojan horse to carry micronutrients to immune cells of allergics. In clinical double-blind placebo-controlled6 and provocation trials in pollen and house dust mite allergics we demonstrated that with the BLG lozenge micronutritional deficiencies can be corrected. This is associated with a significant symptom relief.

Conclusion:
We propose that spiking of lipocalins with nutrients, as shown for BLG, is a novel approach exploiting targeted micronutrition to halt the allergy epidemic.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
E. Jensen-Jarolim is the inventor on “LCN2 as a tool for allergy diagnostic and therapy” (EP 14150965.3, Year: 01/2014; US 14/204,570) and shareholder of Biomedical Int. R+D GmbH, Vienna, Austria.
 
REFERENCES (6)
1.
Roth-Walter F, Schmutz R, Mothes-Luksch N, et al. Clinical efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy is associated with restoration of steady-state serum lipocalin 2 after SLIT: a pilot study. World Allergy Organ J. 2018;11(1):21. doi:10.1186/s40413-018-0201-8
 
2.
Petje LM, Jensen SA, Szikora S, et al. Functional iron-deficiency in allergic rhinitis patients correlate with symptom severity and microbial communities not relying on iron. Allergy. 2021;76:2882-2923. doi:10.1111/all.14960
 
3.
Hufnagl K, Ghosh D, Wagner S, et al. Retinoic acid prevents immunogenicity of milk lipocalin Bos d 5 through binding to its immunodominant T-cell epitope. Scientific Reports. 2018;8(1):1598. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-19883-0
 
4.
Roth-Walter F, Pacios LF, Gomez-Casado C, et al. The major cow milk allergen Bos d 5 manipulates T-helper cells depending on its load with siderophore-bound iron. PLOS One. 2014;9(8):e104803. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0104803
 
5.
Pali-Schöll I, Bianchini R, Hofstetter G, et al. Secretory protein beta-lactoglobulin cattle stable dust may contribute to the allergy protective farm effect. Clin Transl Allergy. 2022;12(2):e12125. doi:10.1002/clt2.12125
 
6.
Bartosik T, Jensen SA, Afify SM, et al. Ameliorating Atopy by Compensating Micronutritional Deficiencies in Immune cells: a double-blind placebo-controlled study. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2022. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2022.02.028
 
ISSN:2732-8929
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