muramidase and Rhinitis--Allergic--Seasonal

Topics: Anaphylaxis; Anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane Disease; Antigen-Antibody Complex; Asthma; Complement System Proteins; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; Humans; Immunoglobulins; Interferons; Lactoferrin; Leukocytes; Lung; Macrophages; Muramidase; Phagocytosis; Reagins; Respiratory Hypersensitivity; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Sarcoidosis; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

Salmeterol is a long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist that is widely used in the treatment of asthma. It has been suggested that non-bronchodilator actions of salmeterol may contribute to its efficacy.. To further evaluate the potential non-bronchodilator actions of salmeterol in vivo, using a model of nasal challenge with allergen.. Twelve asymptomatic subjects with seasonal allergic rhinitis participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial of the effects of a single dose of 100 microg of salmeterol on the response to allergen challenge. Sneezing and symptom scores, and levels of histamine and albumin in nasal lavages, were measured throughout the protocol. Concentrations of tryptase, prostaglandin D2 and lysozyme were measured during the acute allergic response, while levels of IL-3, IL-5 and IL-8 were measured at later time points. Numbers of eosinophils and of total white blood cells were also recorded.. Salmeterol did not affect sneezing or symptom scores at any point. During the immediate response to allergen challenge, mast cell activation, reflected by concentrations of histamine, tryptase and prostaglandin D2, and serous glandular secretion, assessed by measurements of lysozyme, were unaffected by salmeterol treatment but vascular permeability, reflected by concentrations of albumin in nasal lavages, was significantly reduced. At later time points, salmeterol had no effect on levels of histamine or albumin and did not affect cellular infiltration. Concentrations of IL-3, IL-5 and IL-8 were not increased by allergen challenge in these subjects, so the effects of salmeterol could not be evaluated.. Treatment with a single dose of salmeterol had no effect on activation of mast cells or cellular infiltration but inhibited vascular permeability. The ability of salmeterol to inhibit antigen-induced vascular permeability may contribute to its therapeutic efficacy in asthma.

Topics: Administration, Intranasal; Adrenergic beta-Agonists; Albuterol; Asthma; Capillary Permeability; Cell Count; Cytokines; Double-Blind Method; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Histamine Release; Humans; Male; Mast Cells; Muramidase; Nasal Lavage Fluid; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Salmeterol Xinafoate; Treatment Outcome

Nasal lavage is a useful tool for monitoring of inflammatory process in pollinosis. In 27 patients with pollen allergy the nasal lavage was performed before, during and after pollen season. The concentration of total protein, albumin and lysozyme were determined in obtained fluid. In one group Pollinex (Bencard) was applied before pollen season, and in the second one--placebo in similar injections. The concentrations of total protein in nasal lavage fluid was significantly lower after the pollen season in both analyzed groups. On the other hand, the concentrations of albumin and lysozyme were increased during pollen season relatively to values before and after the season. In patients treated with Pollinex observed values after the season were lower than in placebo group.

Topics: Adult; Albumins; Allergens; Antigens, Plant; Drug Combinations; Female; Glutaral; Humans; Immunotherapy; Male; Muramidase; Nasal Lavage Fluid; Plant Extracts; Poaceae; Pollen; Proteins; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Seasons; Tyrosine

Allergic rhinitis is characterized by a profuse rhinorrhea in addition to paroxysms of sneezing, nasal congestion, and pruritus. To define better the sources of nasal secretion produced during rhinitis, nasal allergen challenges were performed on nine atopic subjects with seasonal rhinitis. A single dose of allergen was sprayed into one side of the nose, and nasal lavages were collected bilaterally for 7 hours. Nasal lavages were assayed for protein (total protein, albumin, lactoferrin, and lysozyme) and mediator (histamine and prostaglandin D2) content. Protein concentrations increased and remained elevated above baseline levels in both ipsilateral and contralateral secretions for up to 3 hours after allergen challenge. The proportion of albumin relative to total protein (the albumin percent) increased on the ipsilateral side, whereas the relative proportions of lactoferrin and lysozyme (the lactoferrin percent and lysozyme percent) increased on the contralateral side. Prostaglandin D2, but not histamine, increased selectively on the ipsilateral side. These data suggest that the ipsilateral protein secretory response is due to allergen-induced mast cell mediator release causing increased vascular permeability, whereas the contralateral protein secretory response is primarily a reflex-induced glandular secretion.

Topics: Adult; Albumins; Allergens; Female; Histamine; Histamine Release; Humans; Lactoferrin; Male; Muramidase; Nasal Cavity; Nasal Mucosa; Nasal Provocation Tests; Prostaglandin D2; Proteins; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Therapeutic Irrigation; Time Factors

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Clinical Trials as Topic; Drug Combinations; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Humans; Imidazoles; Middle Aged; Muramidase; Naphazoline; Naphthalenes; Nasal Decongestants; Placebos; Rhinitis; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal

Peptide immunotherapy using T-cell epitopes is expected to be an effective treatment for allergic diseases such as Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica; Cj) pollinosis. To develop a treatment for pollen allergy by inducing oral tolerance, we generated genetically manipulated (GM) chickens by retroviral gene transduction, to produce a fusion protein of chicken egg white lysozyme and a peptide derived from seven dominant human T-cell epitopes of Japanese cedar pollen allergens (cLys-7crp). The transgene sequence was detected in all chickens transduced with the retroviral vector. Transduction efficiency in blood cells correlated to transgene expression. Western blot analysis revealed that cLys-7crp was expressed in the egg white of GM hens. Mice induced to develop allergic rhinitis by Cj pollinosis were fed with cLys-7crp-containing egg white produced by GM chickens. Total and Cj allergen (Cry j 1)-specific IgE levels were significantly decreased in allergic mice fed with cLys-7crp-containing egg white compared with allergic mice fed with normal egg white. These results suggest that oral administration of T-cell epitope-containing egg white derived from GM chickens is effective for the induction of immune tolerance as an allergy therapy.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Allergens; Animals; Animals, Genetically Modified; Base Sequence; Blotting, Western; Chick Embryo; Chickens; Cryptomeria; Egg White; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; Humans; Immunoglobulin E; Immunotherapy; Mice; Molecular Sequence Data; Muramidase; NIH 3T3 Cells; Pollen; Recombinant Fusion Proteins; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Treatment Outcome

Although nasal challenge with allergen has often been used to evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic modalities used for the treatment of allergic rhinitis, the reproducibility of this model in quantitatively evaluating efficacy has not been rigorously examined.. To examine the reproducibility of the suppressive effects of an intranasal corticosteroid on the clinical and biochemical outcomes of a nasal allergen challenge during two identical treatment periods using the same subjects.. In a single-blind study, 25 seasonal allergic subjects with positive skin tests to grass or ragweed were studied outside of their pollen season. Subjects underwent a baseline, three-dose allergen challenge. Beginning 1 week later, subjects received two 7-day courses of intranasal beclomethasone (168 microg b.i.d.) separated by a 1-month washout period. Nasal challenges with allergen were performed after each treatment period. The nasal allergic response was evaluated by counting sneezes, recording symptom scores and measuring levels of albumin (an index of vascular permeability), lysozyme (an index of serous glandular secretion) and kinins (proinflammatory peptides) in recovered nasal lavages.. Compared with the baseline challenge, each course of beclomethasone significantly reduced sneezing, symptom scores, albumin and kinins, but not lysozyme. Reproducibility analysis of the net changes from diluent challenge in the two beclomethasone treatment periods, showed the following intraclass correlation coefficients: sneezing (0.92), lysozyme (0.82), symptom scores (0.72), albumin (0.64) and kinins (0.28).. We conclude that the nasal challenge model is a reproducible method to evaluate the efficacy of anti-allergic medications. For nasal corticosteroid trials, sneezing, symptom scores and albumin levels are recommended as the most reproducibly suppressive outcome measures.

Topics: Administration, Intranasal; Adult; Albumins; Allergens; Ambrosia; Anti-Asthmatic Agents; Beclomethasone; Clinical Trials as Topic; Female; Glucocorticoids; Humans; Kinins; Male; Muramidase; Nasal Lavage Fluid; Nasal Provocation Tests; Poaceae; Reproducibility of Results; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Sneezing; Treatment Outcome

Topics: Animals; Cathepsin G; Cathepsins; Cell Adhesion; Cell Degranulation; Cell Movement; Dogs; Interleukin-8; Muramidase; Neutrophils; Pancreatic Elastase; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Serine Endopeptidases; Trachea

A comparative study of local and humoral immunity in patients with increased sensitivity to ragweed pollen and in healthy persons has been carried out. In untreated patients a six-fold increase of the levels of total IgE and specific anti-ragweed IgE-antibodies in the blood sera and secretions has been registered, which corresponds to the 3rd and 4th grade reaction in the enzyme immunoassay; simultaneously, a decrease in the characteristics of immune responsiveness has been observed. As the levels of total IgE and specific IgE-antibodies are of particular diagnostic value in immediate-type allergic diseases, the authors have examined the patients with ragweed pollenosis at the periods of the absence of clinical manifestations and in the exacerbation of the disease during blossoming with pollen formation. During exacerbation the level of immunoglobulins of all classes, specific IgE-antibodies in the blood sera and secretions of patients, as well as some characteristics of immune responsiveness, are higher than in remission, which is indicative of the increased antigenic stimulation of the body and of the developing immune response.

Topics: Allergens; Antibodies, Bacterial; Antibody Formation; Antibody Specificity; Humans; Immunoglobulin A; Immunoglobulin A, Secretory; Immunoglobulin E; Immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin M; Muramidase; Pollen; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Humans; Middle Aged; Muramidase; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Allergens; Asthma; Enzyme Activation; Glucuronidase; Humans; Lysosomes; Muramidase; Neutrophils; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Ribonucleases

Topics: Agar; Allergens; Asthma; Chromatography; Chymotrypsin; Dermatitis, Atopic; Egg White; Electrophoresis; Gels; Glycoproteins; Hexosamines; Hexoses; Humans; Immune Sera; Immunochemistry; Immunoelectrophoresis; Muramidase; Neuraminic Acids; Ovalbumin; Proteins; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Skin Tests; Starch; Trypsin; Trypsin Inhibitors