Salicylate Food Intolerance and Aspirin Hypersensitivity in Nasal Polyposis.

BACKGROUND: A clear association between allergy and nasal polyposis (NP) is not determined and the role of food intolerance in patients with NP is not investigated by oral food challenge (OFC). OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relation of salicylate food intolerance and atopy in patients with NP according to recurrence and aspirin sensitivity. METHODS: A cross sectional multicenter study was done in two tertiary centers for allergy in Iran. Adult patients with NP were selected for the study that had been referred to allergy clinics. The oral aspirin challenge (OAC) test was performed to identify aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) and the OFC test was used to investigate food intolerance. Atopic evaluation was performed by skin-prick tests, nasal smear and blood eosinophil count as well as serum total IgE. RESULTS: One hundred and nineteen Iranian patients (female to male ratio 1.05) with NP were enrolled (mean age, 38 ± 11 years). Recurrence of nasal polyposis was 64.7%. OAC was performed in all cases; 43.79% cases had aspirin hypersensitivity. In addition, OFC tests determined that 69.9% of patients had salicylate food allergy. Salicylate food intolerance was significantly higher in NP cases with AERD than in aspirin tolerant patients (p<0.05). Yet, positive skin prick test was not associated with NP recurrence and AERD. CONCLUSION: Atopy and NSAID exacerbated respiratory disease; therefore, they can both be considered as predictors of NP recurrence. Our study also showed that salicylate food intolerance was associated with AERD in nasal polyposis.

Plant methyl salicylate induces defense responses in the rhizobacterium Bacillus subtilis.

Bacillus subtilis is a rhizobacterium that promotes plant growth and health. Cultivation of B. subtilis with an uprooted weed on solid medium produced pleat-like architectures on colonies near the plant. To test whether plants emit signals that affect B. subtilis colony morphology, we examined the effect of plant-related compounds on colony morphology. Bacillus subtilis formed mucoid colonies specifically in response to methyl salicylate, which is a plant-defense signal released in response to pathogen infection. Methyl salicylate induced mucoid colony formation by stimulating poly-γ-glutamic acid biosynthesis, which formed enclosing capsules that protected the cells from exposure to antimicrobial compounds. Poly-γ-glutamic acid synthesis depended on the DegS-DegU two-component regulatory system, which activated DegSU-dependent gene transcription in response to methyl salicylate. Bacillus subtilis did not induce plant methyl salicylate production, indicating that the most probable source of methyl salicylate in the rhizosphere is pathogen-infected plants. Methyl salicylate induced B. subtilis biosynthesis of the antibiotics bacilysin and fengycin, the latter of which exhibited inhibitory activity against the plant pathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum. We propose that B. subtilis may sense plants under pathogen attack via methyl salicylate, and express defense responses that protect both B. subtilis and host plants in the rhizosphere.

Propolis specimens from different locations of central Italy: chemical profiling and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) quantitative analysis of the allergenic esters benzyl cinnamate and benzyl salicylate.

Propolis is a beehive product popular in natural medicine thanks to its noteworthy properties. Propolis is non-toxic but is responsible for allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. In this paper, we propose a new gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analytical methodology for the quantitative analysis of two allergenic esters in propolis specimens, benzyl salicylate and benzyl cinnamate, and test it on specimens from different locations of central Italy. We also present the results obtained in the chemical characterization of the same specimens. The characterization showed that the resin fractions of all of the specimens are of poplar origin.

Photonucleophilic addition of the epsilon-amino group of lysine to a triflusal metabolite as a mechanistic key to photoallergy mediated by the parent drug.

A mechanism for triflusal-induced photoallergy involving complexation of 2-hydroxy-4-trifluoromethylbenzoic acid with site I of human serum albumin and subsequent formation of a covalent adduct by photoreaction between a metabolite and a neighboring lysine residue is proposed. This is supported by the observed photobinding to poly-L-lysine. Thereby, a photoantigen is generated, which is a likely trigger of the immune response.The goal of the work presented herein is to gain deeper insight into the molecular basis of photoallergy mediated by triflusal through its active metabolite, 2-hydroxy-4-trifluoromethylbenzoic acid (HTB). For this purpose, the interaction between HTB and human serum albumin (HSA) was investigated by fluorescence and laser flash photolysis to monitor inclusion into the protein binding sites through variation in the excited-state properties. A remarkable lengthening of HTB triplet lifetime in the presence of HSA was observed. The use of oleic acid as a displacement probe clearly suggests the preference for dark binding in site I. The mechanism of photobinding was studied by irradiation of HTB in the presence of amino acids, and, in the case of lysine, a photoadduct was detected that arises from nucleophilic attack by the epsilon-amino group to the trifluoromethyl substituent of HTB. Accordingly, photobinding of the metabolite to poly-L-lysine was also observed. Overall, these results are consistent with a mechanism for triflusal photoallergy involving complexation of HTB to site I of HSA and subsequent formation of a covalent photoadduct with one neighboring lysine residue.

Production of monoclonal antibody against ginkgolic acids in Ginkgo biloba Linn.

A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for ginkgolic acids (GAs) was developed using monoclonal antibody (MAb) 9F raised against 6-(13-formylheptyl) salicylic acid covalently coupled to bovine serum albumin (BSA). ELISA, at an effective measuring range of 300 ng/ml-1 microgram/ml of GA15:1, was successful in detecting GAs content in ginkgo leaves and standardized extracts due to the lack of cross-reactivity against various related compounds. The sensitive and simple immunoassay developed in this study was validated to be specific for the quantitative determination of total GAs content in ginkgo crude drugs with no interference from the sample matrix. The analytical recovery of spiked GA15:1 was 103% in a concentration range between 10 and 40 mg/g dry weight of ginkgo leaves.

The sensitizing capacity of ginkgolic acids in guinea pigs.

BACKGROUND: Ginkgo biloba possesses fruits that have caused numerous cases of allergic contact dermatitis. Low amounts of the ginkgolic acids occur in the leaves as well. OBJECTIVE: Leaf extracts are used to treat cerebrovascular and peripheral vascular disorders. The question arises whether skin hypersensitivity reactions may be adverse effects because the pharmaceutical preparations contain low amounts of ginkgolic acids. METHODS: Guinea pigs were sensitized experimentally with pure ginkgolic acids as well as with leaf extracts containing approximately 1,000 ppm of ginkgolic acids. RESULTS: The guinea pigs could be sensitized successfully with the pure ginkgolic acids. The animals could not be sensitized with the leaf extract. CONCLUSION: Leaf extracts of Ginkgo biloba taken orally or given by infusion to treat diffuse cerebral disturbances can be considered safe, even when they might contain up to 1,000 ppm of the sensitizing ginkgolic acids.

Evidence that the role of plant defensins in radish defense responses is independent of salicylic acid.

Radish leaves contain two homologous 5-kDa plant defensins which accumulate systemically upon infection by fungal pathogens (F.R.G. Terras et al., 1995, Plant Cell 7: 573-588). Here we report on the molecular cloning of the cDNAs encoding the two pathogen-inducible plant defensin isoforms from radish (Raphanus sativus L.) leaves. Tissue-print and whole-leaf electroblot immunostaining showed that the plant defensin peptides not only accumulate at high levels at or immediately around the infection sites in leaves inoculated with Alternaria brassicicola, but also accumulate in healthy tissue further away from the infection sites and in non-infected leaves from injected plants. Gel blot analysis of RNA confirmed that expression of plant defensin genes is systemically triggered upon fungal infection whereas radish PR-1 gene expression is only activated locally. In contrast to the radish PR-1 gene(s), expression of the radish plant defensin genes was not induced by external application of salicylic acid. Activation of the plant defensin genes, but not that of PR-1 genes, occurred upon treatment with methyl jasmonate, ethylene and paraquat.

Drug allergy: identification and characterization of IgE-reactivities to aspirin and related compounds.

Twenty-seven patients with aspirin (ASA) sensitivity were studied. 14 patients had naso-ocular-bronchial reactions after taking ASA while others had cutaneous and gastrointestinal reactions. The oral challenges with salicylic acid (SA), O-methylsalicylic acid (OMSA), ASA, and the determination of IgE antibodies specific to salicyloyl, O-methylsalicyloyl, acetylsalicyloyl using correspondent disks by RAST, RAST inhibition and RAST crossinhibition assays were performed. The findings suggest that OMSA seems to be the main offender responsible for cutaneous and gastrointestinal reactions, whereas ASA is responsible for naso-ocular-bronchial reactions. The clinical crossreactions between ASA and ASA-like drugs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and pyrazolone drugs) are probably due to "inborn errors of metabolism". The results indicate that genetic factors, mast-cell heterogeneity, and the interindividual variability in drug metabolism, combined with immunological background should be considered as underlying mechanisms.

Signal transduction in plant immunity.

Significant recent advances in the understanding of plant defense mechanisms include the isolation and characterization of resistance genes against bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens, the identification of genes involved in cell death, and the demonstration of the involvement of reactive oxygen species and salicylic acid in the signal-transduction pathways for expression of induced resistance.

Salicylic acid: a systemic signal in induced plant disease resistance.

Some plants respond to infection by pathogens with both localized and systemic resistance responses. These prevent the spread of the disease-causing organism and reduce the severity of a subsequent infection. Recent evidence suggests that systemic increases in the host's salicylic acid levels act as a signal for the activation of at least some of these induced defenses.

Sensitivity to aspirin: a new serological diagnostic method.

Certain adverse reactions to aspirin (ASA), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and pyrazolone derivatives resemble IgE-mediated hypersensitivity. However, convincing evidence of antigen-antibody interactions or inhibition of the cyclooxygenase pathway of arachidonic acid metabolism, stimulating the production of leukotrienes (LTs) and decreasing the production of prostaglandins (PGs), has not been presented. In this study, two types of specific IgE antibodies have been found in six serum samples from eight ASA-sensitive patients with salicyloyl and O-methylsalicyloyl disks using the Radio Allergo Sorbent Test (RAST), whereas no positive result could be found with acetylsalicyloyl disks. Further investigation on the specificity of these IgE antibodies and the chemical structure of their epitopes were performed by cross-inhibition studies. The results are in favor of an IgE-dependent mechanism involved in ASA sensitivity, and suggest that determination of specific IgE antibodies would be a safe diagnostic method for ASA sensitivity in vitro.

The presence of specific IgE to salicyloyl and O-methylsalicyloyl in aspirin-sensitive patients.

Certain adverse reactions to aspirin (ASA), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and pyrazoline derivatives resemble IgE-mediated hypersensitivity. However, convincing evidence of antigen-antibody interactions or of the inhibition of the cyclooxygenase pathway of arachidonic acid metabolism leading to an increase in the generation of leukotrienes (LTs) and a decrease in the generation of prostaglandins (PGs) was not fully demonstrated. In this study, two types of specific IgE antibodies have been found in 27 serum samples from 28 ASA-sensitive patients with salicyloyl-discs and O-methylsalicyloyl-discs by Radio Allergo Sorbent Tests (RAST). The positive rates were 96.4% and 71.4%, respectively. In contrast, no positive results could be found in 10 normal donors without ASA sensitivity after ingestion of ASA 500 mg/day for 14 days. Further investigation of the chemical structure of epitopes was done by cross inhibition studies. Our results are an increasing evidence in favour of an IgE-dependent mechanism in patients suffering from ASA sensitivity. Hopefully, the determination of specific IgE antibodies will be a safe diagnostic method of ASA sensitivity in vitro.

Analgesic spray contact dermatitis.

The author describes two patients with acute contact allergy to 3-(aminomethyl)-pyridyl salicylate in an analgesic spray. In one case, the patient reacted when someone used the spray not far from her.

Allergic contact dermatitis from 3-(aminomethyl)-pyridyl salicylate.

2 patients with acute allergic contact dermatitis from 3-(aminomethyl)-pyridyl salicylate are described. Both patients were females with histories of urticaria and showed cross-sensitization to substances of the para group. Clinical manifestations included eczema, angioedema and respiratory effects. In 1 patient, airborne elicitation was suspected. A lymphocyte transformation test confirmed the allergy, with an extremely high response index. 35 normal controls were negative.

The raising and characterisation of antibodies to salicylate.

Polarisation fluorescence was used to assess the antibody response in sheep immunised with 4-aminosalicylic acid coupled to keyhole limpet haemocyanin and to develop a polarisation fluoroimmunoassay for subsequent clinical use. The fluorescent label was prepared by coupling 4-aminosalicylic acid to fluorescein isothiocyanate. All immunised sheep produced antibodies and a simple assay was developed using salicylic acid as the standard. The simple fluorescence polarisation approach enabled the rapid and direct study of the immuno-reactivity of a large number of pure chemical analogues of salicylic acid. Each was assessed for its ability to compete with the fluorophore-labelled analyte for antibody-binding sites, relative to salicylate, thereby enabling investigation of the steric and chemical characteristics important in the recognition and binding of a hapten to antibodies.