T-Cell Epitope Immunotherapy in Mouse Models of Food Allergy

Methods Mol Biol. 2021:2223:337-355. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1001-5_21.

Abstract

Food allergy has been rising in prevalence over the last two decades, affecting more than 10% of the world population. Current management of IgE-mediated food allergy relies on avoidance and rescue medications; research into treatments that are safer and providing guaranteed and durable curative effects is, therefore, essential. T-cell epitope-based immunotherapy holds the potential for modulating food allergic responses without IgE cross-linking. In this chapter, we describe the methods in evaluating the therapeutic capacities of immunodominant T-cell epitopes in animal models of food allergy. Moreover, we explain in detail the methods to measure the allergen-specific antibody levels, prepare single-cell suspension from spleen, and prepare small intestine for immunohistochemical analysis of eosinophils and Foxp3+ cells.

Keywords: Cow’s milk allergy; ELISA; Egg allergy; Eosinophils; Immunohistochemical staining (IHC); Mouse model; Oral immunotherapy (OIT); Regulatory T cell (Treg); Shellfish allergy; Swiss roll.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic / administration & dosage
  • Administration, Oral
  • Allergens / administration & dosage*
  • Aluminum Hydroxide / administration & dosage
  • Animals
  • Cholera Toxin / administration & dosage
  • Desensitization, Immunologic / methods*
  • Disease Models, Animal*
  • Egg Hypersensitivity / immunology
  • Egg Hypersensitivity / pathology
  • Egg Hypersensitivity / therapy*
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / methods
  • Eosinophils / drug effects
  • Eosinophils / immunology
  • Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / chemistry
  • Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / immunology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin E / genetics
  • Immunoglobulin E / immunology
  • Immunohistochemistry / methods
  • Intestines / drug effects
  • Intestines / immunology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Milk Hypersensitivity / immunology
  • Milk Hypersensitivity / pathology
  • Milk Hypersensitivity / therapy*
  • Peptides / immunology
  • Peptides / pharmacology*
  • Shellfish Hypersensitivity / immunology
  • Shellfish Hypersensitivity / pathology
  • Shellfish Hypersensitivity / therapy*
  • Spleen / drug effects
  • Spleen / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / drug effects
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / immunology

Substances

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic
  • Allergens
  • Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte
  • Peptides
  • Immunoglobulin E
  • Aluminum Hydroxide
  • Cholera Toxin