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Establishing an allergic eczema model employing recombinant house dust mite allergens D er p 1 and D er p 2 in BALB /c mice
Author(s) -
Szalai Krisztina,
Kopp Tamara,
Lukschal Anna,
Stremnitzer Caroline,
Wallmann Julia,
Starkl Philipp,
Vander Elst Luc,
SaintRemy JeanMarie,
PaliSchöll Isabella,
JensenJarolim Erika
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
experimental dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.108
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1600-0625
pISSN - 0906-6705
DOI - 10.1111/exd.12015
Subject(s) - house dust mite , balb/c , sensitization , eosinophil , immunoglobulin e , immunology , adjuvant , allergen , allergy , immune system , medicine , antibody , asthma
The major house dust mite allergens D er p 1 and D er p 2 are prevalent inducers of eczema. Der p 1 is a cysteine protease disrupting epithelial barriers, whereas D er p 2 functionally mimics the LPS ‐binding compound MD ‐2 within the TLR 4 complex. In this work, we tested the percutaneous sensitizing capacity of recombinant (r) D er p 1 and D er p 2 in BALB /c mice. Mice were sensitized by percutaneous application of low (10 μg/application) and high dose (100 μg) r D er p 1 or r D er p 2, or with r D er p 1 followed by r D er p 2. Allergen‐specific and total I g E antibodies were determined by ELISA . Eczema of BALB /c was classified by the itching score and corresponded to erosions. Infiltrating immune cells were identified by haematoxylin/eosin and G iemsa staining for eosinophils or mast cells, CD 3 staining for T lymphocytes. Percutaneous treatments with r D er p 1, but not r D er p 2‐induced specific I g G 1. However, cotreatment with r D er p 1 led to increase in anti‐ D er p 2 I g G titres. Both allergens elicited skin erosions because of scratching, thickening of the epidermis, and eosinophil and T ‐cell infiltration. Our data indicate that recombinant mite allergens in the absence of adjuvant are sufficient for inducing eczema in BALB /c mice. As the enzymatic activity of an allergen might be an important cofactor for specific sensitization via the skin, D er p 1 may act as adjuvant for other allergens too. The presented mouse model is suitable for investigating the mechanisms of allergic eczema.