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Traffic and smog pollutants can alter airborne allergens to get them to stronger, new research shows.
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2 ), a common pollutant arising from vehicular traffic emissions, and ozone, a component of smog, changed the molecular structure from the Bet v 1 allergen, and that is derived from birch pollen, and caused it to be about two to three times more allergenic. American Chemical Society National Meeting 2015. Abstract ENVR 65.
Over 300 million people suffer from allergic rhinitis worldwide, based on the World Health Organization, with increasing numbers of these in Southeast Asia affected because of increased pollution burden.
“Scientists have long suspected that air pollution and climate change are associated with the increasing prevalence of allergies worldwide, ” said lead researcher Dr. Ulrich Pöschl from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany.
“Understanding the underlying chemical processes behind this phenomenon has proven elusive. Our research is simply a starting point, however it does commence to suggest how chemical modifications in allergenic proteins occur and just how They‘ll affect allergenicity. ”
The presence of NO2 or ozone inside the atmosphere leads to structural changes to Bet v 1 that cause it to be simpler to trigger an immune response, which suggests they could trigger at lower atmospheric Bet v 1 concentrations. These changes can also enhance the immune response.
Laboratory tests and computer simulations showed that structural changes occurred no matter how the concentrations of NO2 and ozone were altered, reflecting conditions which may correspond to larger or smaller cities, for instance.
Co-researcher Dr. Christopher Kampf, also from the Max Plank Institute for Chemistry, estimated that protein allergenicity increased as much as about three-fold due to exposure to NO2 and ozone pollutants. Hot, humid conditions were particularly conducive to increased allergen potency.
“In all cases significant molecular modifications occurred, ” he said. “It’s only a make a difference of just simply the amount pollution, ultimately. ”
Although Kampf noted that researchers are taking a look at ways to avoid or decrease the severity of allergies, the key factor is to scale back emissions.
“Ozone can’t really be controlled, except for NO2, that might be possible, ” he said.
The research team does have plans to research the associated with these pollutants on other proteins.
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2 ), a common pollutant arising from vehicular traffic emissions, and ozone, a component of smog, changed the molecular structure from the Bet v 1 allergen, and that is derived from birch pollen, and caused it to be about two to three times more allergenic. American Chemical Society National Meeting 2015. Abstract ENVR 65.
Over 300 million people suffer from allergic rhinitis worldwide, based on the World Health Organization, with increasing numbers of these in Southeast Asia affected because of increased pollution burden.
“Scientists have long suspected that air pollution and climate change are associated with the increasing prevalence of allergies worldwide, ” said lead researcher Dr. Ulrich Pöschl from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany.
“Understanding the underlying chemical processes behind this phenomenon has proven elusive. Our research is simply a starting point, however it does commence to suggest how chemical modifications in allergenic proteins occur and just how They‘ll affect allergenicity. ”
The presence of NO2 or ozone inside the atmosphere leads to structural changes to Bet v 1 that cause it to be simpler to trigger an immune response, which suggests they could trigger at lower atmospheric Bet v 1 concentrations. These changes can also enhance the immune response.
Laboratory tests and computer simulations showed that structural changes occurred no matter how the concentrations of NO2 and ozone were altered, reflecting conditions which may correspond to larger or smaller cities, for instance.
Co-researcher Dr. Christopher Kampf, also from the Max Plank Institute for Chemistry, estimated that protein allergenicity increased as much as about three-fold due to exposure to NO2 and ozone pollutants. Hot, humid conditions were particularly conducive to increased allergen potency.
“In all cases significant molecular modifications occurred, ” he said. “It’s only a make a difference of just simply the amount pollution, ultimately. ”
Although Kampf noted that researchers are taking a look at ways to avoid or decrease the severity of allergies, the key factor is to scale back emissions.
“Ozone can’t really be controlled, except for NO2, that might be possible, ” he said.
The research team does have plans to research the associated with these pollutants on other proteins.
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