Lycopene alleviates food allergy by modulating the PI3K/AKT pathway in peanut-sensitized BALB/c mice

Immunobiology. 2023 Aug 15;228(6):152731. doi: 10.1016/j.imbio.2023.152731. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTFood allergies, which lead to life-threatening acute symptoms, are considered an important public health problem. Therefore, it is essential to develop efficient preventive and treatment measures. We developed a crude peanut protein extract (PPE)-induced allergy mouse model to investigate the effects of lycopene on peanut allergy. Mice were divided into four groups: 5 mg/kg lycopene, 20 mg/kg lycopene, no treatment, and control groups. Serum inflammatory factors were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, pathology and immunohistochemistry analyses were used to examine the small intestine of mice. We found that lycopene decreased PPE-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) and IL-13 levels in the serum, relieved small intestine inflammation, attenuated the production of histamine and mouse mast cell protease-1, and downregulated PI3K and AKT1 expression in the small intestine tissues of mice allergic to peanuts. Our results suggest that lycopene can ameliorate allergy by attenuating the PI3K/AKT pathway and the anaphylactic reactions mediated by PPE-specific IgE.PMID:37607433 | DOI:10.1016/j.imbio.2023.152731
Source: Immunobiology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Source Type: research