Immune cells called mast cells react to various pathogens, including bacteria and parasites. Mast cells release a variety of chemicals in response to these pathogens, including histamine and heparin as well as other cytokines and growth factors. The immune system’s response should be governed by these various chemicals and proteins. In addition to causing swelling and occasionally allergic reactions, mast cells play a significant role in allergies. Mast cells have historically been essential for the inflammatory response because they” sound the alarm” when intruders enter the body. They can be found in connective tissue all over the body, including under the skin, close to blood vessels, in the lungs and intestines.
It is still unclear why mast cells exist, despite the fact that scientists are aware of some of what they do. In order to elicit an immune response, other cells also carry out the task of excreting various chemicals. In order to better understand what mast cells do, Dr. Hans-Reimer Rodewald and his team from the German Cancer Research Center‘s Division of Cellular Immunology set out to do so. Mast cells function as sensors to avoid coming into contact with allergens and trigger an allergic reaction, according to a recent Nature article by Dr. Rodewald and his team.
To establish this allergen avoidance mechanism, the research team conducted a variety of experiments. In one study, mice were immunized against ovalbumin, an immunological study protein that is frequently found in egg whites. The mice were given permission to drink regular water or water that contained egg whites after being immunized. The egg white water was avoided by immunized mice, whereas it was preferred by the unmummed mice. However, when the experiment was repeated with mice without mast cells, the egg white water was preferred by both immunized and non-immunized mice. Regardless of whether they were immunized or not, mice that were unable to produce IgE, an antibody produced by various immune cells to release histamine during an allergic reaction, also preferred the egg white water. The researchers came to the conclusion that IgE and mast cells are both in charge of avoidance behavior. & nbsp,
Further research showed that immunized mice( with mast cells and IgE ) experienced gastrointestinal inflammation when forced to consume the egg white water. This suggests that the animal’s avoidance behavior is mediated by mast cells and aids in preventing unfavorable immune responses.
Then, researchers were interested in how mast cells instructed the brain to stay away from particular foods and allergens. Researchers chose to study leukotrienes, which are pro-inflammatory proteins released by mast cells that activate nerves in the brain, because they release a variety of chemicals and proteins that would mediate brain activity. The immunized mice that avoided the egg white water lost their avoided behavior by blocking leukotrienes. These findings contribute to the understanding of the process by which mast cells control behavior.
Overall, IgE antibodies and leukotrienes are used by mast cells to mediate avoidance behavior. For the first time, Dr. Rodewald and colleagues linked mast cells to avoidance behavior. These results will have a significant impact on the field because they will help us understand mast cells better and help connect behavior to the immune system in order to create better treatments for people who are highly allergic.
Dr. Hans-Reimer Rodewald, German Cancer Research Center, Division of Cellular Immunology, Nature