Polymers help protect mice from anaphylactic reaction to peanuts

The gut microbiome plays a significant role in the immune system's tolerance of potential food allergens, such as milk or peanuts. Research has shown that certain bacteria can protect against food allergies by preventing antigens from entering the bloodstream.

Now, a group of researchers at the University of Chicago have created a special type of polymeric molecule to deliver a crucial metabolite produced by these bacteria directly to the gut, where it helps restore the intestinal lining and allows the beneficial bacteria to flourish.

The research demonstrates that these polymers, called micelles, can be designed to release a payload of butyrate, a molecule that is known to help prevent food allergies, directly in the small and large intestines.

When given to mice, these micelles increased the abundance of butyrate-producing Clostridia bacteria, protected the mice from an anaphylactic reaction to peanuts, and reduced the severity of symptoms in a model of ulcerative colitis.

"We were delighted to see that our drug both replenished the levels of butyrate present in the gut and helped the population of butyrate-producing bacteria to expand," said Cathryn Nagler, the Bunning Family Professor in the Biological Sciences Division and Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at UChicago.

"That will likely have implications not only for food allergy and inflammatory bowel disease, but also for the whole set of non-communicable chronic diseases that have been rising over the last 30 years, in response to lifestyle changes and overuse of antibiotics in our society."

Image source: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain.