Effect of digestion on the immunoreactivity and proinflammatory properties of recombinant peanut allergen Ara h 1

ABSTRACT Ara h 1 is one of the major allergens existed in peanut, peptides formed in the digestion process of Ara h 1 could induce allergic symptoms and cause local inflammatory. The mechanism of intestine epithelial immune has not been clarified yet. Here we explored the effect of digestion on the immunoreactivity and proinflammatory properties of recombinant Ara h 1 (rAra h 1). rAra h 1 was treated (or untreated) with heat, digested by pepsin. According to the results, in the early period of digestion, both native and heated rAra h 1 were degraded. Q-PCR and Western-blot results revealed that the NF-κB pathway was involved in the cytokine secretion. The proinflammatory effect were less pronounced in the samples treated with heat, demonstrating that digestion, instead of thermal process, could modify the proteins and peptides, which could then play a significant role in the activation of Caco-2 cells via the NF-κB pathway