1. Ragweed plants grown under elevated CO 2 levels produce pollen which elicit stronger allergic lung inflammation.
- Author
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Rauer D, Gilles S, Wimmer M, Frank U, Mueller C, Musiol S, Vafadari B, Aglas L, Ferreira F, Schmitt-Kopplin P, Durner J, Winkler JB, Ernst D, Behrendt H, Schmidt-Weber CB, Traidl-Hoffmann C, and Alessandrini F
- Subjects
- Allergens, Europe, Pollen, Ambrosia, Carbon Dioxide
- Abstract
Background: Common ragweed has been spreading as a neophyte in Europe. Elevated CO
2 levels, a hallmark of global climate change, have been shown to increase ragweed pollen production, but their effects on pollen allergenicity remain to be elucidated., Methods: Ragweed was grown in climate-controlled chambers under normal (380 ppm, control) or elevated (700 ppm, based on RCP4.5 scenario) CO2 levels. Aqueous pollen extracts (RWE) from control- or CO2 -pollen were administered in vivo in a mouse model for allergic disease (daily for 3-11 days, n = 5) and employed in human in vitro systems of nasal epithelial cells (HNECs), monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs), and HNEC-DC co-cultures. Additionally, adjuvant factors and metabolites in control- and CO2 -RWE were investigated using ELISA and untargeted metabolomics., Results: In vivo, CO2 -RWE induced stronger allergic lung inflammation compared to control-RWE, as indicated by lung inflammatory cell infiltrate and mediators, mucus hypersecretion, and serum total IgE. In vitro, HNECs stimulated with RWE increased indistinctively the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-8, IL-1β, and IL-6). In contrast, supernatants from CO2 -RWE-stimulated HNECs, compared to control-RWE-stimulated HNECS, significantly increased TNF and decreased IL-10 production in DCs. Comparable results were obtained by stimulating DCs directly with RWEs. The metabolome analysis revealed differential expression of secondary plant metabolites in control- vs CO2 -RWE. Mixes of these metabolites elicited similar responses in DCs as compared to respective RWEs., Conclusion: Our results indicate that elevated ambient CO2 levels elicit a stronger RWE-induced allergic response in vivo and in vitro and that RWE increased allergenicity depends on the interplay of multiple metabolites., (© 2020 The Authors. Allergy published by European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)- Published
- 2021
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