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CROSS REACTIVITY IN ALLERGIC ASTHMA-LIKE RESPONSES BETWEEN MOLD AND HOUSE DUST MITE IN MICE
Citation:
CHUNG, Y., L. B. COPELAND, J. R. LEHMANN, AND M. D. WARD. CROSS REACTIVITY IN ALLERGIC ASTHMA-LIKE RESPONSES BETWEEN MOLD AND HOUSE DUST MITE IN MICE. Presented at Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting, Charlotte, NC, March 25 - 29, 2007.
Description:
Molds are ubiquitous in the environment and exposures to molds contribute to various human diseases including allergic asthma. Some mold allergens have been implicated as the causal agent for allergic asthma. Western blot analysis demonstrated IgE-binding cross-reactivity among mold extracts. However, the physiological relevance of this cross-reactivity to exacerbate asthma-like responses in house dust mite (HDM) and other mold sensitized mice is not well characterized. We hypothesized that mold extracts can exacerbate allergic asthma-like responses in a BALB/c mouse model. Mice were sensitized to HDM or Penicillium chrysogenum extract (PCE) by intratracheal aspiration two times in 14 days. Seven days later, both HDM- and PCE-sensitized mice were challenged to mold extracts (PCE, Stachybotrys chartarum extract [SCE], or Metarhizium anisopliae crude antigen [MACA]) and HDM. Two days after challenge, serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were collected and analyzed for allergic and immunologic responses. Immediate airway responses were also assessed by whole-body plethysmography. Both HDM-sensitized, MACA-challenged mice and PCE-sensitized, MACA or HDM-challenged mice had pulmonary edema. PCE-sensitized, MACA-challenged mice had cellular damage in the lung. BALF total cell counts, especially macrophage counts, and BALF IL-5 levels were significantly increased in PCE-sensitized, MACA-challenged mice compared to PCE-sensitized mice. Serum total IgE levels were elevated compared to controls but were not different among sensitized mice regardless of challenge. Immediate airway responses were significantly elevated in HDM-, PCE- sensitized and mold-challenged mice compared to those of control mice. Taken together, mold extracts can exacerbate allergic responses in HDM-, PCE-sensitized mice including inflammatory, Th-2 cell, and airway responses through cross reactivity. (This abstract does not reflect EPA policy.)