Published in:
01-06-2019 | Original Contribution
Dietary wheat amylase trypsin inhibitors exacerbate murine allergic airway inflammation
Published in: European Journal of Nutrition | Issue 4/2019
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Background
Wheat amylase trypsin inhibitors (ATI) are dietary non-gluten proteins that activate the toll-like receptor 4 on myeloid cells, promoting intestinal inflammation.
Aim of the study
We investigated the effects of dietary ATI on experimental allergic airway inflammation.
Methods
Mice on a gluten and ATI-free diet (GAFD), sensitized with PBS or ovalbumin (OVA) and challenged with OVA, were compared to mice on a commercial standard chow, a gluten diet naturally containing ~ 0.75% of protein as ATI (G+AD), a gluten diet containing ~ 0.19% of protein as ATI (G−AD) and a GAFD with 1% of protein as ATI (AD). Airway hyperreactivity (AHR), inflammation in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and pulmonary tissue sections were analyzed. Allergic sensitization was assessed ex vivo via proliferation of OVA-stimulated splenocytes.
Results
Mice on a GAFD sensitized with PBS did not develop AHR after local provocation with methacholine. Mice on a GAFD or on a G−AD and sensitized with OVA developed milder AHR compared to mice fed a G+AD or an AD. The increased AHR was paralleled by increased BAL eosinophils, IL-5 and IL-13 production, and an enhanced ex vivo splenocyte activation in the ATI-fed groups.
Conclusions
Dietary ATI enhance allergic airway inflammation in OVA-challenged mice, while an ATI-free or ATI-reduced diet has a protective effect on AHR. Nutritional wheat ATI, activators of intestinal myeloid cells, may be clinically relevant adjuvants to allergic airway inflammation.