Dietary unripe apple polyphenol inhibits the development of food allergies in murine models

The incidence of type I allergic disorders has been increasing worldwide, particularly, the hypersensitivity to food. We first showed that apple condensed tannin (ACT) intake would inhibit the development of the oral sensitization and that the inhibition could correlate with the rise in the population of TCR gamma delta-T cells in the intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) using W/W-V mice and B10A mice which were ovalbumin (OVA)-orally sensitized. Serum OVA-specific immunoglobulin E and immunoglobulin G1 titers in the OVA-orally sensitized W/W-V and B10A mice ad libitium fed ACT were extremely inhibited compared to those of the control. The ACT intakes of OVA-sensitized W/W-V and B10A mice inhibited the immediate reduction of the body temperature or the rise in serum histamine induced by active systemic anaphylaxis. The proportions of the TCR gamma delta-T cells in the IEL of the OVA-orally sensitized W/W-V and B10A mice ad libitium fed ACT were significantly greater than that in the controls. Furthermore, ACT feeding by itself could induce the rise in the percentage of the TCR gamma delta-T cells among the IEL of the W/W-V and B10A mice. This suggests that the ACT intake may prevent the development of food allergies and this effect could be correlated with the rise in the percentage of TCR gamma delta-T cells among the IEL. (c) 2005 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.