Robert L Jacobs1, Nathan Harper2, Weijing He2, Charles P Andrews3, Cynthia G Rather3, Daniel A Ramirez3, Sunil K Ahuja4. 1. Biogenics Research Chamber, San Antonio, Tex. Electronic address: robert.jacobs7025@sbcglobal.net. 2. Veterans Administration Center for Personalized Medicine, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, Tex; Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Tex. 3. Biogenics Research Chamber, San Antonio, Tex. 4. Veterans Administration Center for Personalized Medicine, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, Tex; Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Tex; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Tex; Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Tex.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The severity of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (AR) symptomatology elicited after exposure to pollen in the absence versus the presence of confounding cofactors, such as in a pollen challenge chamber (PCC) and the natural pollinating season, respectively, might differ. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the correlation of AR severity in the natural season versus out-of-season PCC exposures. METHODS: Twenty-four Virginia live oak (VLO)-positive, 14 VLO-negative, 16 mountain cedar (MC)-positive, 8 MC-negative, and 26 ragweed-positive participants recorded AR symptoms (total symptom score [TSS]) during the VLO, MC, and ragweed pollinating seasons and during 2 consecutive PCC exposures of 3 hours each to these pollens separately. RESULTS: The TSSs recorded before the natural season were higher than the pre-PCC values. This prepriming was greater among VLO(+) than MC(+) participants, and it blunted further increases in TSSs during the VLO natural season. Nonatopic participants were nonreactive in the PCC. There was wide variation in the level of AR symptomatology after exposure to VLO, MC, or ragweed pollen in the PCC. Prepriming formed the basis for higher AR responses observed in the natural season than in the PCC, resulting in the identification of distinct PCC/natural season endophenotypes and a partial correlation between the TSSs recorded in the natural season versus those recorded in the PCC (r = 0.34, 0.54, and 0.65 for VLO(+), MC(+), and ragweed-positive participants, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Prepriming in the natural pollinating season might obscure the true correlation between AR severity in the natural season versus the PCC. By mitigating confounding cofactors, PCC exposures have utility for evaluation of novel AR therapeutics.
BACKGROUND: The severity of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (AR) symptomatology elicited after exposure to pollen in the absence versus the presence of confounding cofactors, such as in a pollen challenge chamber (PCC) and the natural pollinating season, respectively, might differ. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the correlation of AR severity in the natural season versus out-of-season PCC exposures. METHODS: Twenty-four Virginia live oak (VLO)-positive, 14 VLO-negative, 16 mountain cedar (MC)-positive, 8 MC-negative, and 26 ragweed-positive participants recorded AR symptoms (total symptom score [TSS]) during the VLO, MC, and ragweed pollinating seasons and during 2 consecutive PCC exposures of 3 hours each to these pollens separately. RESULTS: The TSSs recorded before the natural season were higher than the pre-PCC values. This prepriming was greater among VLO(+) than MC(+) participants, and it blunted further increases in TSSs during the VLO natural season. Nonatopic participants were nonreactive in the PCC. There was wide variation in the level of AR symptomatology after exposure to VLO, MC, or ragweed pollen in the PCC. Prepriming formed the basis for higher AR responses observed in the natural season than in the PCC, resulting in the identification of distinct PCC/natural season endophenotypes and a partial correlation between the TSSs recorded in the natural season versus those recorded in the PCC (r = 0.34, 0.54, and 0.65 for VLO(+), MC(+), and ragweed-positive participants, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Prepriming in the natural pollinating season might obscure the true correlation between AR severity in the natural season versus the PCC. By mitigating confounding cofactors, PCC exposures have utility for evaluation of novel AR therapeutics.
Authors: Alisha M Smith; Robert M Ramirez; Nathan Harper; Fabio Jimenez; Anne P Branum; Justin A Meunier; Lavanya Pandranki; Andrew Carrillo; Caitlyn Winter; Lauryn Winter; Cynthia G Rather; Daniel A Ramirez; Charles P Andrews; Marcos I Restrepo; Diego J Maselli; Jacqueline A Pugh; Robert A Clark; Grace C Lee; Alvaro G Moreira; Muthu Saravanan Manoharan; Jason F Okulicz; Robert L Jacobs; Sunil K Ahuja Journal: Allergy Date: 2021-10-22 Impact factor: 14.710
Authors: G W Scadding; A O Eifan; M Lao-Araya; M Penagos; S Y Poon; E Steveling; R Yan; A Switzer; D Phippard; A Togias; M H Shamji; S R Durham Journal: Allergy Date: 2015-04-06 Impact factor: 13.146
Authors: Gail M Gauvreau; Beth E Davis; Guy Scadding; Louis-Philippe Boulet; Leif Bjermer; Adam Chaker; Donald W Cockcroft; Barbro Dahlén; Wyste Fokkens; Peter Hellings; Nikolaos Lazarinis; Paul M O'Byrne; Ellen Tufvesson; Santiago Quirce; Maurits Van Maaren; Frans H de Jongh; Zuzana Diamant Journal: Eur Respir J Date: 2022-08-25 Impact factor: 33.795