TY - JOUR
T1 - Lycopene intake induces colonic regulatory T cells in mice and suppresses food allergy symptoms
AU - Ushiroda, Chihiro
AU - Takagi, Tomohisa
AU - Fuke, Nobuo
AU - Mizushima, Katsura
AU - Hirai, Yasuko
AU - Higashimura, Yasuki
AU - Harusato, Akihito
AU - Kamada, Kazuhiro
AU - Uchiyama, Kazuhiko
AU - Ishikawa, Takeshi
AU - Aizawa, Koichi
AU - Suganuma, Hiroyuki
AU - Itoh, Yoshito
AU - Naito, Yuji
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 EAACI and John Wiley and Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
PY - 2022/1
Y1 - 2022/1
N2 - Background: Food allergy (FA) is a common disease in children; thus, a high level of safety is required for its prevention and treatment. Colonic regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been suggested to attenuate FA. We investigated the Treg-inducing ability and anti-FA effects of carotenoids, a pigment contained in vegetables and fruits. Methods: C57BL/6N mice were fed a diet containing 0.01% (w/w) of lycopene, β-carotene, astaxanthin or lutein for 4 weeks, and the population of colonic Tregs was assessed. Subsequently, to evaluate the Treg-inducing ability of lycopene, splenic naïve CD4+ T cells from BALB/c mice were cultured with anti-CD3/CD28 antibody, TGF-β and lycopene, and the frequencies of Tregs were examined. The effect of 0.1% (w/w) lycopene containing diet on FA was investigated in OVA-induced FA model BALB/c mice. Results: In screening, only lycopene significantly increased the frequency and number of colonic Tregs. Lycopene also increased Treg differentiation in splenic naïve CD4+ T cells. In FA mice, lycopene feeding significantly increased the number of colonic Tregs and attenuated allergic symptoms. The expression levels of IL-4, IL-9 and IL-13 mRNA in colonic mucosa were also significantly reduced by lycopene. IL-9 is known to induce proliferation of mast cells, and we found that lycopene feeding significantly reduced the number of mast cells in the colonic mucosa of FA mice. Conclusion: Our results suggest that lycopene, a carotenoid present in many common foods on the market, may have the potential to induce colonic Tregs and suppress FA symptoms.
AB - Background: Food allergy (FA) is a common disease in children; thus, a high level of safety is required for its prevention and treatment. Colonic regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been suggested to attenuate FA. We investigated the Treg-inducing ability and anti-FA effects of carotenoids, a pigment contained in vegetables and fruits. Methods: C57BL/6N mice were fed a diet containing 0.01% (w/w) of lycopene, β-carotene, astaxanthin or lutein for 4 weeks, and the population of colonic Tregs was assessed. Subsequently, to evaluate the Treg-inducing ability of lycopene, splenic naïve CD4+ T cells from BALB/c mice were cultured with anti-CD3/CD28 antibody, TGF-β and lycopene, and the frequencies of Tregs were examined. The effect of 0.1% (w/w) lycopene containing diet on FA was investigated in OVA-induced FA model BALB/c mice. Results: In screening, only lycopene significantly increased the frequency and number of colonic Tregs. Lycopene also increased Treg differentiation in splenic naïve CD4+ T cells. In FA mice, lycopene feeding significantly increased the number of colonic Tregs and attenuated allergic symptoms. The expression levels of IL-4, IL-9 and IL-13 mRNA in colonic mucosa were also significantly reduced by lycopene. IL-9 is known to induce proliferation of mast cells, and we found that lycopene feeding significantly reduced the number of mast cells in the colonic mucosa of FA mice. Conclusion: Our results suggest that lycopene, a carotenoid present in many common foods on the market, may have the potential to induce colonic Tregs and suppress FA symptoms.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85119012623&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85119012623&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/pai.13691
DO - 10.1111/pai.13691
M3 - Article
C2 - 34716962
AN - SCOPUS:85119012623
SN - 0905-6157
VL - 33
JO - Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
JF - Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
IS - 1
M1 - e13691
ER -