Immunologic evaluation of perilla seed-induced allergic reactions

초록

Introduction: Incidence of the food allergy or food-related allergic reactions in adults has been recently increased in Korea, and several specific foods accounts for the majority of the cause of food allergy. Although perilla seeds are frequently consumed in many food products as seasonings and seed oil in Asia including Korea, perilla seed-induced allergic diseases has been rarely reported. Objectives: This study was performed for immunologic evaluation of the perilla seeds-induced allergic diseases. Three patients with perilla seed allergy were enrolled. Two patients had developed anaphylactic symptoms after eating perilla seed contacting foods, and one patient had a several experiences of oral allergy syndrome after contact perilla seeds. Skin prick tests, specific IgE measurement, IgE inhibition tests and IgE immunoblotting were performed. Results: The skin prick test with perilla seed extracts showed positive reactions, and serum specific IgE antibodies to perilla seeds were detected by ELISA. ELISA inhibition tests showed significant inhibitions of specific IgE responses with additions of perilla seed extracts in dose-dependent manners, however, sesame seeds showed no inhibition of the IgE binding to perilla seeds. Immunoblot assay identified several IgE binding components with molecular weights of around 22, 25.5, 27, 32, and 34 KDa. Conclusion: We demonstrated the presence of specific IgE to perilla seeds in patients with allergic reaction to these foods, and also identified specific IgE binding component. These results suggest that perilla seed can induce IgE-mediated allergic reactions in sensitized patients, and it should be taken into consideration as a cause of food allergy.